Lovers of Freedom
by Milu Georgia
Summary: Microsoft bought Minecraft. It could be the end for the Youtubers. But then a sudden phone call brings the solution: Continue your work for Microsoft. But there is one condition: Reunify Team Crafted. - Skyenja / SkyCanadian - Skydoesminecraft & BajanCanadian
1. Prologue: Offer

Welcome readers to my second english fanfiction on this side. I've written a lot of stories so far, but they were mostly in german. If you see any _grammar and/or spelling mistakes_, please tell me!

_Now some informations for you about the story:  
_**Chapters:** Not sure yet, for now I think there'll be 15 - 20. Usually I write 2000 words per chapter, but because of my inexperiece in writing english fanfictions, there'll be less words.  
**Uploads:** I plan on updating at least once a week, but it depends on the comments you guys send me. If there are none, then there will be no chapters. Sadly I had too many bad experiences in the past, regarding comments. If you want new chapters, then please leave me a few words. It only takes a few seconds for you, but for me a reaction to what I write is really important.  
**Pairings:** None yet, probably Skyenja later.  
**POV:** Team Crafted; changing  
**When?:** The story sets now/ fall of 2014. The Minecraft - Microsoft incident is the main topic.  
**Music tips:** For each chapter I've chosen a specific song, please listen to it while you read the chapter. It'll help you to be in the 'right' mood. You'll find the link to the song below the name. Just look it up, listen and enjoy the chapter. =)  
**Rating:** PG-13 Some romance, some swearing, but nothing too serious.  
**Disclaimer:** Nope, no member of Team Crafted belongs to me. Otherwise I wouldn't write fanfictions. ;P

That's all from my side, if there are further questions please feel free to ask them. =)  
Also check out my _twitter _\- that way you'll know when I'm about to upload a new chapter!  
** /Milumaus**

* * *

**Music ****tip****:  
Muse – ****Undisclosed****Desires  
youtube: **watch?v=bWTuKd2lTo4

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Prologue****:  
**_Offer_

The worst was the silence.  
Suddenly the beautiful house he owned seemed way too big and intimidating. Before there had been Alesa and her laughter had often filled the house, while Adam had woken up with a smile on his face. When he would sneak down the stairs to the kitchen, Milton and Bailey would happily join him prior to a soft kiss on his lips by his wonderful girlfriend.

Ex girlfriend.  
God, the very thought of it was crushing him.

The shades kept the bright sun outside and gave Adam the imagination of his own little world, while he stayed in his bedroom filled with darkness. Curled up beneath the sheets he tried to hide from everything and everyone, already knowing that countless tweets were waiting for him. Tweets, comments, haters… Same stuff. But this time it would be worse. A lot of people loved Alesa and he knew that the fans behaved different this time. Not all would respect their decision, not all would see it as a decision on both sides.  
After the first horrible comments he went to bed yesterday evening.

But he had to get out of the bed eventually.  
It took him ten minutes of just standing in front of the closed door, before he took a deep breath and finally exited the large room. As soon as he walked down the corridor to the bathroom, the silence and the reality overwhelmed him. Alesa left. She took their two dogs. It wasn't the first time for her to go, they had many nearly break-ups before, but this time…

They both knew that there was no going back.  
Not this time.

His hands began to shake again, but it was worse than the day before. He could barely contain himself – not that it was necessary with nobody else in the house – and when he reached the bathroom, he grabbed the first object he could get and threw it across the room. The glass in his hand shattered on the wall and his own loud, angry scream could be heard.

The next minutes went by in a blur. He panted heavily, as he splashed cold water on his face. It was pale, dark circles were under his eyes and the common brightness was gone. The shaking didn't stop and tears welled up in his eyes again. Before he could watch himself cry in the mirror, he left the room and fled downstairs to the kitchen.

The sun threw soft patterns onto the floor and all in all it would've been a nice morning, if stuff just… just wouldn't suck at the moment. Adam always tried to tell himself that one day everything would be all right, but as time went on he gave up his precious hope more and more and more…

Because someone up there had to be messing with him, right?  
His past.  
Dawn.  
Team Crafted.  
Alesa.  
Just to name a few things.

The ringing of his phone disturbed his pessimistic thoughts and slowly he went to the living room. His hand was already reaching out to grab the phone, but he stopped shortly before answering the call. There could be no good news, right? It was probably his family or the guys, who wanted to check on him. He wrote every one of them a short message on Skype at the same time as the fateful tweet was published.  
They knew he wasn't in the mood for an encouraging speech so he turned around and picked up his mobile phone. Time to face reality. He had to be there for the fans, they needed the videos and even though the thought stressed him out, he felt slightly comforted by it as well.

The answering machine picked up the call.  
"_Hello Mr. Dahlberg, this is Tom Murphy."_

Murphy? While he checked his various messages, Adam strained his ears. He didn't know why, but the name sounded familiar. He was distracted by a confusing message of Ty and a link. What could be so important? Ty knew that Adam needed a few-  
Holy shit!

"_I am Microsoft's director of corporate communications, corporate citizenship &amp; community affairs. You probably know already the reason for my call."_  
Adam held his breath and widened his eyes. No-fucking-way. The possibility had been there, yes, but that they would actually sell it- "We are so screwed," Adam whispered and lowered his mouth covering hand. Then he remembered the call and his head snapped back to the answering machine.  
"_This is about your future, Mr. Dahlberg. I recommend you to pick up the phone."_

* * *

Please tell me any **mistake **you find, I'm still learning English and really wanna improve. =)  
Please leave a **review** and check out my **twitter**. That way you'll know when I'm about to upload a new chapter!  
/Milumaus

And remeber:_ The more comments, the sooner I'll update. ;)_


	2. Chapter 1: Confusion

**AN****:  
**Before the chapter starts I want to thank **BlazetheDragonite, Jazzy &amp; Guest **for their comments!  
So... I had the chapter ready all day actually, but it was so hard so check it again for mistakes. I can't concentrate right now. Not since I saw **_Adam's tweet_**. Just check it out and leave him some nice words. It's killing me to see him like that. Srs. I'm so worried right now.**  
**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Muse – Knights of Cydonia  
youtube: **watch?v=z9D71pQaTnc

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 1:  
**_Confusion_

* * *

The talk was very short.  
Mr. Murphy simply invited him to a personal meeting here in Seattle.  
Nonetheless Adam was so shocked, that he had to sit down the second they ended the phone call.

His hands were still shaking, as he put his phone down on the table and his head on his knees. His sitting position on the sofa made it hard for him to breathe properly, but at the moment he couldn't care less. Adam had to collect his thoughts because he feared that his panic wasn't completely unfounded. And if that was the case, they had to react quickly.

So first of all:  
Microsoft bought Minecraft.

Everyone had anticipated it already, they had feared it, but none of them had thought that it could actually get real. But now it was valid, the deal's been done and no one knew how their future would look like.  
In a pessimistic moment Adam thought about the well-known '_What if…?'_ and groaned painfully, as he imagined himself working in the same place again as before his YouTube career. Never again, he told himself and stood up abruptly. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, he got up too fast, but after a few seconds of standing completely still they were gone. He had to focus his thoughts again.

Second:  
Microsoft called him just a few hours after the deal was done.

They had something planned out since the beginning of the negotiations. Whatever it was, it obviously had to do with the youtubers. So why did they call him of all people? Did they saw him as some kind of leader? Adam didn't like the thought, but his amount of subscribers could have put an idea into their heads.  
What were they expecting him to do? Should he influence the others and convince them to give up their channels in a peaceful way? Another thought occurred to him and Adam got even paler than before. Maybe he was just the first to disappear. The most subscribed Minecraft-Youtuber. It would be a very effective way to scare the rest off.

He nearly got a heart attack as the phone rang again.  
Two seconds later he was already out of the room and sprinting up the stairs to his own. He didn't care about who was calling. The thought alone was enough to scare him off, that it could be someone from Microsoft again and right now he needed to concentrate. The coming decision he had to make – whatever it actually was about – could decide about his future.

As soon as he arrived in his bedroom, he closed the door behind himself. The ringing of the phone disappeared and just now he dared to breathe again. Even though the darkness in the room had been comforting to Adam before, he couldn't bear it now. Abruptly he rushed over to the windows and opened them, after he drew the curtains aside. The cold and clean air outside was refreshing and eagerly he gasped for air. Due to the end of the summer the temperatures dropped every day, but right now he didn't mind at all.

For a moment Adam closed his eyes and leaned against the window frame. Suddenly the break-up with Alesa felt like it happened ages ago. It still hurt pretty badly nonetheless, but currently there were other, bigger things on his mind. He didn't want to admit it and something inside of him screamed at Adam for even thinking it, but for now it just wasn't as important. And then another thought hit him.

Third:  
He had to take at look at twitter.

It wasn't just because of the break-up. The fans were probably going crazy about it and he feared all the hate-mails, but he had to check the accounts of his friends immediately. Maybe they were called as well. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he expected.  
Hesitatingly Adam went to his night stand and picked up his mobile phone. The screen lit up. He had several missed calls and messages. Friends. His family. He had to deal with it later. Now was not the time.

Twitter opened.  
The new messages he'd received were countless.  
Before he even got the chance to think about looking them up, his fingers had already begun to scroll down. New video, new video, random stuff… Then he saw the first tweets.

* * *

**Jorge CyaNideEPiC** _CyaNideEPiC__ · 3h_  
I really hope that Microsoft sees the content creators YouTube/Twitch/modders &amp; others as asset to minecraft community not a burden.

* * *

**Ty** _Deadloxx · 3h_  
I think it's good that Microsoft bought minecraft, it could lead to great updates and more exciting stuff.

* * *

_SubZeroExtabyte__ retweeted  
_**Zack Scott** _ZackScott __ · __2h  
_I knew something was up with Mojang tightening the EULA and canceling Minecon this year. Hopefully Microsoft caters to the community.

* * *

They had not a single clue about what was going on behind the scenes. Not a word about a call or something suspiciously going on. Nobody knew anything. So should he make the beginning?  
Nervously Adam glanced up from his phone. He was sitting on his bed, pressed to the wooden head of it and breathed in the fresh air again. Would the guys from Microsoft chop his head off? They had no reason to do so, right? It was just a phone call, no negotiations, no warning, no secret stuff as far as he knew.

Screw them.  
His fingers rushed over the display as he typed in a short message.

Somehow he had to get rid of this tension, before it was killing him. It was too much to bear it alone right now and to be honest he couldn't care less about their reaction. Maybe they would even reply to him and show the world, what really was going on.

* * *

**Adam **_ SkyDoesMinecraf · 1m  
_Seems to be more srs than you guys thought. Just got a phone call by a certain company. -at- tpemurphy

* * *

His fingers were shacking as he put down his phone onto the mattress. During the minute it took him to go to be bathroom and to come back he'd already received a ton of messages. Fans were flipping out - he should've thought about his choice of words beforehand - and some of the guys had replied as well. Even someone he didn't expect to.

* * *

**Ty** _ Deadloxx · 50s_  
-at- SkyDoesMinecraf ?WUT?

* * *

**SubZeroExtabyte** _SubZeroExtabyte · 38s  
_ -at- SkyDoesMinecraf SKYPE NOW

* * *

**JeromeASF** _JeromeASF · 21s  
_ -at- SkyDoesMinecraf -at- SubZeroExtabyte Count me in

* * *

Before he could change his mind again, Adam got up and into his computer room to start said program. If they were really planning something against the Youtubers, they had to prepare. No matter what happened, Adam was sure of one thing.  
They wouldn't go down without a fight.

* * *

Leave me a comment, please, I don't mind constructive critique. _The next chapter is already coming out on Tuesday if you leave me some comments. _;)_  
(BecauseIt'llBeASpecialDayForMeYesTuesdayIsMyBirthdayIamThatShamelessAndJustTellYou)_**  
**Check out my **twitter **as well. That way you'll know when I'm about to upload a new chapter!  
_** /Milumaus**_

**AND:**_**  
**_I have now a page! Feel free to ask me questions about my stories or stuff you want to know!  
_** /Ask_Milu**_


	3. Chapter 2: No Choice

**AN**:**  
**Before the chapter starts I want to thank **BlazetheDragonite, TheAmazingQwerty &amp; Cheese PuffXx **for their comments!  
So I've looked up some vids of Mitch... and some with Adam and Mitch in it... god... those feels... expect more soon. I just can't stop! ='D  
Also leave me a comment, please, I don't mind constructive critique. _Remember: The more comments, the sooner the chapters will be uploaded! ;)_

* * *

**Music tip:  
Dream Koala – Saturn Boy  
youtube: **watch?v=1yyajKaGk4Y

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 2:  
**_No Choice_

* * *

"Mitch, can you get the bread from the kitchen please?"

A sigh escaped his lips, as he nodded and returned from the garden into the big house. It was one of the last warm days of the summer and currently his family was having a small party. Some friends and neighbors had been invited and so far they had a lot of fun. The only disadvantage was the fact that his mother forbid him to look on his mobile phone. No twitter, no instagram, not even a message to Jerome or Ryan. Live was cruel.

The temperature difference was a pleasure. His skin was burning from staying too long in the sun and the cold air helped him cooling down. As he arrived in the kitchen, the voices from the outside died down and Mitch could enjoy a few minutes alone. He loved the company of their friends, especially when he could be with his family, but sometimes he needed those few minutes to calm down.

He was a happy and carefree guy, but since the break-up of Team Crafted a few months ago, things had been… different.  
All too often he would think back and remember their times together. Back then they'd thought it would go on forever. Minecraft, YouTube, their friendship…  
Up until now he'd admitted to no one, that he missed all of it badly.

And it hurt to read the comments.  
The haters were convinced that he was responsible for Adam leaving.  
Some still couldn't forgive him for what happened to Seto, even though they never heard the full story.  
And others were pulling him down with senseless, but nonetheless painful comments.

He never talked about it, but they all knew.  
His family, who sometimes tried to talk to him about it.  
Jerome, who never approached him about it but could read the look in his eyes all too often.  
They knew, so they gave him those few minutes alone to get all sentimental and emotional, but sometimes even that wasn't enough.

In a sudden urge Mitch grabbed his phone, clenched his teeth and took a swing. _Just smash it_, a voice in his head insisted, _smash it and be free for a few hours_. No news, no messages, nothing. It would be heaven, Mitch imagined, being invisible to the outside world for some blissful hours. But he couldn't do it. Of course he couldn't. It was irresponsible, he had to be there, be present to the community and show his trademark smile.  
When had he lost the fun in all this? The answer in his mind came straight away: Some months ago, as the Team had fallen apart because Mitch had failed them miserably. Every thought about a possible reunion was hopeless. How could they ever forgive him, if he even couldn't do it himself?

The phone in the living room rang, but he paid it no attention. His hand lowered the undamaged mobile phone and slipped it back into his pocket. One second later Mitch put his head into his hands, with his elbows resting on the table. Desperately he gasped for air and tried to hold back the tears that would come eventually. Every once in a while he had to give in to the pressure and break apart a little bit more.

With Adam it had never been a problem.  
As soon as those thoughts had crept into his mind, Mitch had looked for him and they'd talked whole nights about it. Afterwards he had always felt better and had gotten things straightened out with himself. Now he had to deal with the pain on his own, because Mitch didn't dare to talk about his feelings anymore. It had already ruined a precious friendship, he wouldn't risk another one.

The ringing of the phone in the living room stopped.  
A door was opened, footsteps followed, until he could hear a voice from the doorway to the kitchen.  
Every other time, Mitch would have leaped up and tried to look as if nothing had happened, but this time he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was hard to keep up the act of the always smiling Mitch. He was tired of it.

"Mitch? Did you get the phone? We heard it ring- Are you alright?"  
His father.  
Mitch didn't trust his voice, so he refused to answer. Obviously he got worried and approached his unusually quiet son.  
"Mitch?"

The tone in his voice betrayed him. He knew exactly what was going on. Mitch held back a curse he couldn't have voiced anyway. Still he forced out some whispered words to keep his father at distance. Due to the shaking in his thin voice it actually worked.  
"Please- don't. Just go."  
Of course the older man didn't follow his request. Instead his father heaved a sigh and opened his mouth to reply, as the phone in the living room rang again. "We are talking about this Mitch. This can't go on any longer. Wait here." The words of his father were final and his stomach turned, as he thought about the upcoming conversation. A conversation that wouldn't come any time soon.

"Mitch? It's for you."  
Absolutely surprised Mitch lifted his head up and blinked against the sun. Who would call him on his parents' phone? Everyone he could think of had the number of his mobile phone. Slowly he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. His father was standing near the sofa and he had a hand over the lower half of the phone. He had put on a frown and asked in a hushed voice, "Do you know a person called Tom Murphy?"

While shaking his head, Mitch got closer and reached for the phone. "Never heard of him before, as far as I know. What does he want?" Before his father gave him the phone, he shrugged his shoulders. "He didn't say anything else."  
With a mixed feeling in his stomach Mitch cleared his throat and tried to forget, that his father saw him falling apart just a few seconds ago. As he turned away, he felt the lingering glance on his back and saw his own, pale reflection in the window. Fast he turned around again.

"Mitch Hughes?"

"_Oh, Mr. Hughes. What a pleasure to finally talk to you. Tom Murphy my name, I'm working for Microsoft. You've probably already heard of the pleasant news."_

To be honest Mitch should have noticed it already with those clear words, but in his current state of mind, he paid no attention to it. Instead he frowned and walked back to the suite of furniture, where his father was watching him closely. "I'm afraid that I've no idea what you're talking about. Care to enlighten me?"  
The threatening tone in his voice was unintentional. Maybe it came automatically because of the feeling Mitch got, when the older man was talking. There was something eerie about him that felt like a warning to him.

"_I'm surprised. Well, Mr. Hughes, I'm pleased to be able to tell you, that just this morning Microsoft bought the very famous game Minecraft."_

As his legs gave out Mitch was glad, that he was standing in front of the sofa.  
Absolutely shocked he stared at the wall and didn't dare to breathe. That was it. He was doomed, his career gone. No job, no qualification… He was ruined. They would stop his account immediately. Maybe they already did.

Still being in a state of shock, he heard his own quiet voice. He didn't even notice the strong hand of his father on his shoulder, who was worried and without any idea, what exactly just happened.

"How long?"  
_How long until I have to say goodbye to my fans-  
and my beloved memories?_

* * *

Well... you see, he's going to suffer a lot here. (And his family will be involved.) But Adam as well. And my dear readers, what are two suffering and frightened people doing? Right, they'll lash out. *sigh* Those feels and ideas...

Please leave a **review** and check out my **twitter**. That way you'll know when I'm about to upload a new chapter!  
** /Milumaus**

Also check out my other _Team Crafted / Skyenja_ fanfiction called **FOR YOU!** It's about the break-up of TC, a possible what-could-have-happened-back-then and a solution through all of this. It's worth a try, believe me!


	4. Chapter 3: No Time

**AN:**  
Before the chapter starts I wanna thank **BlazetheDragonite** for the nice review!  
So, as you'll see in a moment, I've chosen a german song for the actual chapter. It's like a test - I wanna see if you guys like it or think it's absolute crap. xD I really like the beat and the background music, the singing is nice as well. What do you think? Should I better look up English songs only or do you think it's quite nice? LET ME KNOW!

* * *

**Music tip:  
House Rockerz ft. ****Tiemo Hauer – Schläfst du schon  
youtube: **watch?v=8OH1lv6n5HU

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 3:  
**_No Time_

* * *

"How long?"

His voice broke, as his free hand clenched his jeans. It just took Mr. Murphy a few seconds to reply, but to Mitch it was a whole lifetime. This was his life – everything. Since Jerome and he had begun to record videos for a living, Mitch always tried to do everything he could, to keep the channel up and running. He earned money with it, money that he actually needed for his flat and food. While others went to college or started their career in another business, Mitch had continued to do videos. Up until now it had always worked out – but now the only thing that he had absolutely no control over seemed to ruin everything.

The hand of his father on his shoulder spent him comfort and in a desperate moment he grabbed it with his free hand. If he was really going down, he could use every helping hand. As Mr. Murphy finally raised his voice again he expected the worst and didn't anticipate the following words.

"That actually depends on you, Mr. Hughes."

The unforeseen revelation hit Mitch absolutely unprepared and confused he replied, "What?"  
"You see," the smug voice began and Mitch could hear the armchair squeak in the background, as Murphy leaned back. "My bosses don't like to see gameplay videos on platforms as YouTube, and now that Microsoft actually bought Minecraft, you are sadly a thorn in their sides."

Up until now it sounded really bad.  
As his father motioned Mitch to finally tell him what the call was about, he picked his mobile phone out of his pocket and opened up the first thing he could think of. Twitter. As expected, the side was overflowing with information. He gave the mobile phone to his father and listened, as Murphy continued, "But you are very famous nonetheless, as well as some other youtubers. So they decided to make a deal with you."

A deal.  
It was not enough to give Mitch what he needed to know, but there was one thing he was certain of.  
"Now let me guess what this deal is about: I have to upload what _you_ want, I have to comment the way _you_ prefer it and I have _no_ right to have a say in it!" The anger was getting the better of him and to get rid of it, he got up from his position of the sofa. As he paced through the room he noticed his mother coming in, but before she could voice a question, his father waved her over and showed her the phone. Great.

"Exactly."  
The answer made him laugh out loud, but his tone was filled with sarcasm as he replied, "Wonderful. And what in the world makes you think, that I want to be your bitch?"  
His aggressive reply wasn't taken as lightly as Mitch had thought and the superior and intimidating voice made him freeze on the spot.

"Because, Mr. Hughes, it's the only way for you to get your precious _Team Crafted_ back together."

The minutes before had been nothing.  
The shock hit him so hard, that Mitch wasn't even able to say a single word. _What?_ The man had to be lying. No one could achieve something as impossible as a reunion of the team. Never. No one. The silent seconds passed by without a sound and for a moment Mitch forgot his parents in the room. His voice was barely audible, as he put his free hand over his eyes and answered, "You can't. Trust me."

Mr. Murphy's determination didn't waver for a second, as he continued, "Believe me, Mr. Hughes, they will come. They have no other choice – it's either that or nothing at all in an hour. And without the whole team – without you – every single one of them is ruined."  
The threat was real – but what did he expect? This was about a whole company that was so much more powerful than the team could ever be. They could do nothing against them. For a moment Mitch saw it all as absolutely hopeless, until a certain thought stuck in his mind:

"…_to get your precious __**Team Crafted**__ back."  
_Murphy was so much better than Mitch had anticipated.  
His only weak spot… the team. The guys. Their wonderful times together. Adam.  
It wasn't the right way – not at all -; he should fight back and resist him to set an example for everyone else out there. Still he couldn't bring himself to do the right thing and for a moment he felt as bad as back then, when he did such a huge mistake as well. A mistake that resulted in the end of Team Crafted.  
But Murphy was his only chance to get a piece of his soul back that he was missing ever since.

Big raindrops began to fall and beat against the window to his right. His only chance. He had to take it.  
Slowly he took his hand from his eyes. He glared at the floor and put his hand on his neck, before he replied with an indescribable tone in his voice,  
"What do I have to do?"

The answer of Mr. Murphy was clear. A short glance at his watch told him, that he had to leave now to make it on time.  
Without ending the call properly, Mitch threw the phone onto the couch, picked his own mobile phone up and ran out of the room. Again he reckoned without his parents, who were at his heels immediately. "What the hell is going on? Mitch?" He reached his room a second later and opened the suitcase that was still lying on the ground beside his bed. "Don't you have guests right now?" he tried to get rid of his parents, but they were as persistent as Mitch.

"Your sisters can take care of them for a few minutes."  
"What about the rain?"  
"They'll manage tha- Why are you packing your things?!"

His mother stepped forward, as Mitch threw a pair of shoes back into his suitcase, but before she could unpack his stuff again, he closed the lid. "Can't talk about it," Mitch finally replied cryptically and avoided their gazes. "You actually know what it's about. Just let me go. I have to take care of that!"

His mother stayed silent and crossed her arms with a frown on her face. Mitch tried to escape the guilt and to flee through the door, but his father already stood in the doorway. "Dad, please-," he began with a pleading tone and a sigh. His father didn't even blink. "You're not going anywhere. Explain everything. Now."

"I really can't."  
"What did he say to change your mind so abruptly?"  
"Dad, please, just leave it alone."  
"Had it something to do with you being so different this morning? Or all the other days I'm not going to talk about?"

"Oh my fucking god, yes! Yes, exactly that's the reason, okay?! You're satisfied now?"  
All the questions finally made him explode and with a raised voice he screamed back at his father. His hands were shaking and he clenched his fists – the pent-in anger, built up in the last weeks and months, was released, even though it hit the wrong persons. He couldn't stop, not now.  
"They're going to ruin us all, if I'm not partaking in this and I'm not doing that to the guys! Not since I already-" Mitch stopped himself at the right time, but the damage was already done. The sympathetic look in his father's eyes made the guilty feeling deep inside of him even worse and without looking back up, he pressed himself past his father and out of the room. "Mitch, please wait-," his mother started and they began to follow him again.

"You'll soon find out what's going on, trust me."  
His voice sounded cold, but it didn't hide the fact that it was shaking horribly.  
While he tried to collect his thoughts, he rushed down the stairs and to the front door.

"God, Mitch, we are your family, not your fans! Just talk to us, please!"  
His father was desperate and it became harder for Mitch to continue his way. But he had to. Murphy had said so himself. _"Oh, one last thing Mr. Hughes. No one is going to hear something about this, not even your family. Otherwise there'll be consequences for you and for them."_

"I'm sorry. In this case it makes no difference."  
The words reached its target and they stopped for a short second.  
It was enough time for Mitch to throw his luggage in the back of his car, get onto the driver's seat and speed off.

Mitch would do everything to have just one happy day with the team again.  
Even if he had to give himself up to the lions called Microsoft.

* * *

Check out my _twitter_ account, I'll always post stuff about my stories and when the new chapters are coming! =)  
Name is ** Milumaus**.

Also leave me a comment, please! I'd like to know what you think of the story so far.  
Remember: _The more reviews, the sooner the chapters will be uploaded. ;)_


	5. Chapter 4: No Idea

Thanks to my lovely reviewers** TheAmazingQwerty, BlazetheDragonite &amp;** **Chocolatepie277!**  
Keep in mind: The more reviews, the sooner I'll update.

* * *

**Music tip:  
Imagine Dragons - Warriors  
youtube: **watch?v=VP9I8ZUwKpc

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 4:  
**_No Idea_

* * *

The sun had set a few hours ago and the later it became, the fewer cars were on the highway. Some time ago Mitch was fed up of the silence and had put in a random CD. The beat was pulsing through his body, from the fingertips on the steering wheel to his feet on the accelerator pedal. His muscles were completely stiff, because he had not a single moment to relax – not that he wanted to anyway.

Mitch feared that the second he began to think about everything he would end up breaking down.

Of course he had made a mistake.

He was doomed already. No one would forgive him ever, because he kept on doing the same mistakes over and over again.

Abruptly he turned the music a bit louder.

_Don't think about it_, he told himself for the hundredth time and tried to ignore the fact that his mobile phone on the passenger seat rang again. A short glance on the display showed him the name of his mother. She was probably worried sick because of Mitch's abrupt departure and his cruel words, but he had no choice. Mr. Murphy had made himself very clear on this point.

The ringing stopped and Mitch tried to concentrate on the music and the road again. _A sudden accident will help no one_, he told himself and believed it for a short second. Then the doubts came back and hit him with full strength.

Before Mitch could get any stupid ideas, the phone rang again. In that moment he was so thankful that he actually grabbed it and answered the call. "What?"

His voice cracked and with his other free hand he turned the volume down to understand the other person. Maybe it was Mr. Murphy again. Mitch had no intentions to annoy him more than he already did. "Hello?"

"Mitch?!"

It was neither Mr. Murphy, nor his mother. Actually he was quite surprised, as he forced out a low "Jerome?"

"God, finally! We were starting to get worried. Why haven't you replied to _anything_? The world's going down, man!"

He sounded pretty upset. Mitch didn't need to ask what he was talking about. There was nothing else going on at the moment that was as important as the Microsoft affair. Instead he focused on something else. "I know. Who is _we_?" Jerome remained silent for a moment. Then he replied, but this time he sounded more excited than anything else.

"You won't believe it, Mitch. Right now I'm in a Skype call with Ian, Ryan, Ty and the guys. I mean nearly all of them. Crazy, right? At the beginning it was just Ty, Adam and me, but-"

Mitch's heart stopped.

Immediately he hit the brake.

The tires were screaming, the car nearly careered out of control and Mitch already saw the earlier thought become reality. Thankfully he was all alone on the road due to the time and the road was dry. Jerome had interrupted himself as soon as Mitch had begun to stop the car. Now, after all the noise had disappeared again, he cried out with pure worry, "Oh my- Shit, are you alright, Mitch?! Are you in your car? Did you have an accident? Mitch?!"

Before he could alert the National Guard, Mitch quickly interrupted him.

"I'm alright, sorry, everything's fine. Yes, I'm in my car. No, I didn't have an accident. Now what was that about A-"

Jerome didn't even listen anymore. As soon as he'd heard that Mitch was alright, he repeated Mitch's words. His voice sounded a bit further away; probably he was talking to the guys right now. Had Jerome put him on the speaker? Probably. A bit later his voice was louder again.

"Don't you dare doing this again, you nearly gave us a heart attack! Now where are you driving to at this time? And what are you saying to the news?"

In Mitch's rear view mirror the headlights of another car became visible and slowly Mitch drove off again. Jerome was asking the critical questions. Mr. Murphy had explicitly forbid him to talk to anyone about it, especially his family. But he didn't mention the other guys of the team. Instead of giving them a clear answer, he asked instead, "When have you guys been called?"

One tiny little mistake.

Mitch had assumed that Murphy had already called the rest of the team by now.

Sadly that was not the case.

"How do you- wait, this guy called you as well?!"

Mitch couldn't deny it any longer, so he replied with a sigh, "Well, yeah. Who else did he talk to?"

"Only Adam and you so far. He made you an offer, too?"

Mitch became more confused the longer he talked to Jerome. He'd anticipated that Murphy had already called the guys to inform them of their forced luck. It was easy to get the whole team together, if he used the same strategy on them that he used on Mitch. He knew their weaknesses and how to get them- Wait. No. He knew _Mitch's_ weakness, his wish to have a reunion of Team Crafted. No one had ever said that the rest of them thought the same.

Mitch's hands began to shake again, as it became harder and harder to hold himself back. "You could say that," he finally replied with a strained voice, but he didn't notice. His thoughts were spinning, as he tried to see the plan behind all the madness. What was Murphy scheming? And why did he only call Adam and Mitch? Should they convince the others to join Team Crafted again? No, that wouldn't make any sense. Half of them would probably agree to the deal on their own and the rest would be influenced by the others agreeing.

But what could be the real reason behind it?

Why just Adam and him?

It didn't make any sense at the moment.

"Mitch? Are you still there?"

As soon as he heard the voice of his best friend again, he returned back to reality and blinked irritated. He had to stop it, or else the journey would indeed turn out bad for him. "Yeah, sorry, I was thinking 'bout something."

"Okay, what is it? And where the heck are you driving to?"

He could fool Jerome not in a million years. Of course he knew exactly, when there was a problem bothering Mitch. But he couldn't tell him the truth, could he? Murphy would flip out for sure and Mitch was scared of what the man was really able to do after his explicit threat. "I don't think I can tell you, I'm sorry," he sighed and forgot for a moment, that the others were still hearing him through the speaker and the Skype call. "That's sounds odd. Is this guy responsible for it?"

Jerome was so close to the truth.

Too close, as far as Murphy was concerned.

But damn it, Mitch wanted him to find out so badly!

He wanted his best friend to encourage him, to promise him that he would stay by his side, no matter how ugly it got. He wanted his decision to be the right one, but the longer Mitch thought about it, the more he doubted it.

His stomach turned and he was just about to get sick, as he drove into the town marking his destination. As soon as the blinding lights of the buildings punched down on him, his heartbeat increased a thousand times and the panic rose again. Jerome was quiet and waited for an answer. He knew that Mitch was close to telling him the truth, he could feel and hear it in the tone of his voice. Mitch was certain of it.

"What is bothering you, buddy?"

And then the walls in his mind broke down and he was rattling off in a frightened and agitated voice, "I'm done, Jerome! This asshole knows everything. When I said that I wouldn't agree to his deal, he blackmailed and threatened me. He is craz-"

Mitch couldn't even finish his sentence, as his best friend on the phone exploded, "He did _what?!_ Don't tell me you're serious!"

"I am. He forbade me to speak about it, not even to my family, or there would be consequences for me and for them!"

At the moment he was doing exactly what Murphy didn't want him to do, but Mitch had no other choice. He had to open up to _somebody_, or else he would not even be able to stand in front of the man personally in a few minutes. Mitch needed some urgent back up and right now it was in the form of Jerome. And the guys he had forgotten over the past minute.

"This little cu- He is so going down, I promise you! Wait a moment- …yeah, we're doing that!"

Mitch was confused and frowned, as he turned off the road onto a big parking lot of an impressive office building. "What are you talking about?"

"Ian just said that we should go public with this. You know, him threatening you and stuff. I A lot of people will hate them and their image might go down!"

And there was the problem.

They could do it, maybe it could even work, but then everything would go back to normal.

No Team Crafted.

No option.

"I can't do that," he murmured half ashamed, half desperate and got out of the car. Before they could ask further questions, he admitted, "Look, I have no other choice, guys, seriously. And I have to end the call now, I'm meeting him in a few minutes."

The whole parking lot was nearly abandoned – there were just two other cars. With slow and nervous steps he climbed up the stairs. Not a single person was visible, as he listened to Jerome once again.

"You've got to be kidding me! You are meeting this guy? Why the fuck are you doing this?"

For the first time Mitch could hear the voices of the other guys in the background – Jerome probably turned up the volume – and neither of them sounded very happy about it. For a short second Mitch allowed himself a little smile. They were caring.

Then the smile disappeared and he raised his shoulders.

"Because his threat is very convincing."

"Wait, Mitch, there is something important that you have to kn-"

He ended the call and put his mobile phone in his pocket. He was still wearing his light jeans and the dark hoodie instead of a proper suit. Nonetheless Mitch couldn't care less about it at the moment, because a secretive meeting in the middle of the night didn't really require formal clothes.

As he stood in the elevator, Mitch thought about the possible outcomes of the meeting. There were too many to consider them all, but he tried to think about them anyway. Of course he never expected to see the familiar shape of a long lost friend, as the elevator doors opened.

A young man stood in front of an office door and he seemed to be quite nervous. He wore a dark suit, as he tried to fix his hair in a window that showed the city at night. Mitch stepped out of the elevator, quite surprised about another person being here, but as the man finally turned around, he froze on the spot immediately.

"Adam?!"


	6. Chapter 5: Hate

****AN:  
****Before the chapter starts I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers: **TheSmashingBall, Chocolatepie277, CadentClock39, BlazetheDragonite &amp; TheAmazingQwerty.** You guys are awesome, please keep up the support! =)  
The last chapters were from Mitch's POV, this one is from Adam's again. It was so hard to write, you'll see the reason in the chapter. But I really like it. So much potential for the future, yay! xD****  
****

* * *

**Music tip:  
Sam Smith - Nirvana  
youtube: **watch?v=Lv679SxziHQ

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 5:  
**_Hate_

* * *

"Adam?!"

After Adam had ended the call with Jerome and Ty a few hours earlier, he had dressed in his best suit to look presentable. Sure, he didn't know what this deal would be about and there sure as hell were some negative sides too, but at the moment everything was a blessing. Everything that was keeping him distracted from Alesa was.

Sure, a sudden meeting and at this time was very unusual, but Mr. Murphy had made himself clear that it was very urgent. Also, the building complex wasn't very far from his home, so Adam actually agreed. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he had assumed first.

But then _he_ had to turn up behind him.  
Dressed in a light jeans and a dark hoodie, Mitch stepped out of the elevator and froze on the spot, as he recognized Adam. His voice was barely audible, as he whispered his name and his whole body tensed up.

For a short moment Adam was quite surprised.  
It turned into a warm feeling inside of his chest.  
Then there was only one emotion left. Anger.

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here? This is a joke, right?"

In his vivid memories, Mitch was a coldhearted money-whore, who didn't care about friendships. In Adam's mind every single one of his moves was planned, no matter what happened to others. His eyes – cold. His grin – malicious.  
His mental image didn't fit at all to the person standing in front of him now. Mitch flinched and even took a step back. It was all an act, Adam told himself. Nothing was real. The pale skin, the dark rings under his eyes, the shaking hands. He wouldn't fall a second for his act.

It felt like a lifetime had passed, as Mitch finally found his voice to reply.  
"I- I guess I'm here for the same reason as you are."

Adam would deny it later on, but as he heard the small voice, unsure and completely broken, a part of him was worried. A short second he wanted to rush forward, forget the past and make sure to hear his laugh again. Then he had collected his thoughts again and nothing was left except for anger, hate and disappointment. All the emotions Mitch deserved.  
Nonetheless his answer made Adam furrow his brows and forget them for a second.

"Wait, they called you as well?!"  
Mitch didn't dare to reply and simply nodded. Adam took it the wrong way, unable to see it from his point of view.

"Great, that's just wonderful. I can't believe it. Now I'm stuck here with a person who's even above replying. Don't you dare get in my way, _Hughes_, I can't stand seeing your face."  
His words were too much. Even Adam himself knew.

Still he ignored Mitch's silent reaction.  
The gleam fading from his eyes.  
His crumbling stance.  
A single sigh, barely audible.

If Mr. Murphy hadn't appeared in the exact same moment, Adam would have eventually given up his hard attitude toward Mitch.  
"Oh, I'm glad you're both here already! Please come into my office."

With a hateful look to Mitch, Adam sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. As his unwanted companion sat down as well, he moved to the left with his chair. Deep inside he knew that the other boy was hurting with every move Adam made, but he couldn't bring himself to care about it. Every time he tried, the memories hit him at full strength and he remembered every single word.  
Their fight had been horrible. Never before in his life had Adam felt so much resentment and bitterness towards a person than after that fateful day. His reaction now was logical, wasn't it? However, he still felt guilty for every word he was saying right now. Why wasn't Mitch as angry as Adam?! He should be – he had every right to do so. Adam hadn't been much better back then. And still Mitch behaved completely… unexpected.

It made him furious.

"Please excuse this unusual hour of our meeting. It was necessary due to a set time limit."  
Mr. Murphy sat down as well behind his desk and as he looked up at the two boys, his face had lost all the kindness. Right now he seemed to be dead serious. Before one of them could ask, what exactly he'd meant with his words, he explained.  
"As I've already told you, my bosses aren't happy about people like you making videos. Quite the contrary. But I know the potential you guys have and I managed to convince them to make a deal. No more videos of Youtubers about the game, except for a certain group of famous and popular people. People like you."

Adam was glad that he was already sitting, otherwise he would've collapsed for sure. "Wait, you definitely let out that part during our call!" Adam leaned forward and grabbed the armrests of his comforting chair. Shortly he glanced to his right – Mitch was sitting deep in his chair, arms crossed protectively in front of his chest and his eyes were firmly set on Mr. Murphy. Something was going on here for sure. Was he already involved?

"We, you and I, have no other chance. It's either this group or no one at all."  
Murphy's eyes were serious, his voice even more. Discussing this point was out of question. Still Adam tried.  
"Are you out of your mind?! Have you any idea how many people are making Minecraft-videos for a living? You can't just kick them out! The fans won't accept that, they'll go on the warpath for that!"

"That's the reason why we give them something that's even more worthy to them."  
Murphy sounded way too sure and Adam got a bad feeling. He risked a short glance to his right again. Mitch was even paler than before. He knew for sure what was going on and by the look of it, it was bad.  
For the first time this evening, the anger towards Mitch was replaced by worry.

"We will reunite _Team Crafted_."

Everything stopped.  
Time slowed down.  
The sound of the cars on the streets disappeared.

Adam couldn't think.  
Team Crafted, the group of people, who had left their indelible mark on him.  
People, who have been incredibly important to him.  
Adam tried vehemently to keep the emotions down, but his resentment was washed away by the happy memories the group shared. And here he was, with a chance to get it all back and with a formerly close member, whom he still detested.

"You did it quite well back then, with the different events and the things you did for the fans, but we can do it better. We have to, according to the bosses."

It was literally all or nothing.  
Adam could keep on doing his videos, unfortunately with Mitch.  
Or he could look for a new job with losing everything that had become so important to him over the years.

He had no other choice.  
The decision was made.

"What are the conditions?"  
Mitch's head spun around quickly. He obviously didn't expect Adam to give in. Out of spite he threw Mitch a challenging and cold look, before he gave his full attention to Murphy again. He wasn't surprised at all about his decision.  
"You and the other members will live and record together again. No fights via twitter, especially no words to the fans about something like that. It's no good publicity, you surely understand. Daily videos, but we can decide which modifications you are going to show. Of course we'll decide with the number of views, as you did."  
The more Murphy talked, the less motivated Adam became, but he had no other choice. And it didn't sound so bad, did it? Murphy seemed to be quite enthusiastic about his little project and if he was being honest, then they should be thankful to have a job at all.

It couldn't turn out all too bad.

"Of course you and Mr. Hughes have to stop fighting, we can't afford keeping it up. Why don't you guys start with making up right now? It's hard to find a hotel at this time, and you don't live too far away. I'm sure Mr. Hughes can stay with you for the night."

Could it?

* * *

So hard to write, but I'm quite satisfied with the chapter. =)  
What do you guys think about it?  
Please let me know in the **comments** and don't forget to follow me on **Twitter** to get news about the chapters and stuff! -at- ** Milumaus**


	7. Chapter 6: No Blame

****AN:  
****Before the chapter starts I want to thank my lovely reviewers **TheAmazingQwerty, BlazetheDragonite, Stars Above The Moon &amp; Chocolatepie277!**  
_Please keep in mind:_The more reviews, the sooner I'll try to upload the next chapter. ;)****  
****

* * *

**Music tip:  
Jaymes Young - Parachute  
youtube: **watch?v=Rfut_-POtGM

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 6:  
**_No Blame_

* * *

Mitch was glad that he could drive in his own car.  
The silence on the way to the parking lot had been unnerving, but obviously Adam was keen on giving Mitch the cold shoulder. Sadly he couldn't even blame him for it. Mitch deserved it. Every hateful glance, every horrible remark.  
Why should Adam forgive him for his actions, when Mitch himself couldn't do so?  
No, Adam was right.

But it hurt nonetheless.

It took them about half an hour to reach Adam's house. Mitch had not been here before and just knew the place from various photos and videos. It was around 2am, as he got out of his car and looked around curiously. Adam was already on his way to the front door, so Mitch hurriedly took his luggage out of the trunk and followed him. During the day the temperatures had been pleasant because of the sun, but now during the night it got really cold.  
Mitch had left his jacket in the car and was shivering now. Adam took his time to open the door, but as he finally stepped aside to let Mitch in, the heat was a wonderful change. He couldn't hold back a relaxed sigh and glanced around happily.

"It's wonderful here, I really like it", he tried his luck and looked back to Adam, who just closed the door. His reply was not the one Mitch was hoping for, but at least the other one was talking to him at all. "You can sleep on the couch. I'll bring you a blanket."  
Before Mitch could answer, Adam had disappeared in one of the rooms down the hall. He tried to ignore his nervousness and began to wander around the hall that led to the living room. It was admirable.

Opposite of Mitch was a whole wall made out of glass, so he was able to see the water. The moon was reflected on the surface and spent some light. Between the glass wall and the pathway from the hall was a large dark couch, standing in front of a furnace. The wall surrounding it was made out of stone and beside it hung the TV.  
"Here you go."

Mitch flinched and turned around quickly – just to see Adam standing behind him with a large blanket in his hands. The offensive tone was gone and what surprised Mitch the most was the friendly expression on his face. There was no smile, but the hate had disappeared. He didn't know if it was just temporarily and what had caused this change, but Mitch wouldn't say no to it.  
"Thank you!" With a smile he took the soft fabric and glanced at the furnace. "I don't want to be rude, but can I maybe-"

"Sure, use it. You'll find the wood outside."

Slowly Mitch turned around again to look at Adam. Before it had not been as obvious, but the tone of his voice gave it away. The reason for the sudden change in his behavior was sadness.  
"Are you okay?" he carefully asked and frowned, without moving an inch. Adam silently regarded him for a moment, before he shook his head and turned around again.  
"See you later I guess."

"…Good night."

It was hard to fall asleep. Mitch turned around a thousand times, but no matter what he did, he couldn't relax at all. It wasn't due to the couch - more likely the restless thoughts roaming around in his head were responsible for it.

The day had been unimaginable so far.  
At first there had been his little moment of self-hatred and remorse. His dad had caught him and he wouldn't have let it go this time, had there not been the phone call of Mr. Murphy interrupting him. The conversation itself had been a disaster. Mr. Murphy's threat and he blackmailing Mitch… Of course meeting Adam had been the highlight of the day.

And so it surprised Mitch even more, that a very small part of him was glad.  
He'd met Adam again, no matter how angry and disappointed he was.  
Maybe things could turn out good, maybe there was still hope for them.

Maybe he could be forgiven one day.  
Closing his eyes, Mitch snuggled under the covers and dreamt of a bright future with Team Crafted.

* * *

Even though he'd gone to sleep very late, Mitch was up at an early hour as usual. The sun was blocked by some thick clouds, but the colorful leaves on the road and the lawn made Mitch feel comfortable about this autumn day. He felt the strong urge to run again and ten minutes later he began his morning routine. The cold air felt good on his heated up skin and his lungs were grateful for some fresh breaths. He barely met anyone, just some people driving off to work.

The neighborhood Adam was living in was quiet and peaceful, something the famous youtuber needed as a welcome change to the usually stressful life. Roads meandered through the little suburban area, while the hills to the right of Mitch rose. On his left side was the water, a steady companion to his workout. The large trees on the hills and between the houses made it hard to see the sky and gave Mitch a cozy feeling. It reminded him of his parents' house in Pennsylvania. Home. So Adam was home?

Mitch smiled due to his random thoughts and enjoyed the music he was running to. His dark thoughts from the day before disappeared slowly and made room for some helpful ideas. First of all he needed breakfast. Adam probably had some stuff at home, but on their way to his home last night Mitch had seen a bakery shop. Back then, when Team Crafted had still been a thing, Adam often got himself something to eat from a bakery in the morning. With a little bit of luck it would make the coming hours more bearable. Then he had to leave.

Next step: Finding a hotel. Or should he drive back to his parents? It just took him a second to dispel the idea. He definitely would have to explain himself and right now he wasn't ready for it. And of course there still was the threat of Murphy.  
How long would it take him to convince the rest? How long to get a house for everyone? There still was the possibility to go to LA again – the mansion still belonged to them, even though they had planned to sell it some time ago…

Even if Mitch still had his house up in Montreal, which he already sold, it would be too far away. Murphy told them to stay nearby, so for now it would be a hotel. All in all the next days would be really stressful for him. Hopefully he could record a video on his laptop, before Adam would kick him out.

Fifteen minutes later Mitch returned and opened the door with one of Adam's keys. Thankfully he wasn't up yet and didn't notice his little robbery. Before Mitch went to take a quick shower, he began to brew coffee. Adam hated him and Mitch wasn't blaming him for it at all, but he would make it as difficult as possible for Adam to kick him out.

It was already past 10am, as he finished preparing a nice breakfast. He didn't pretend to think Adam would eat together with him, so he took a cup of coffee and a plate of bread to go outside to the terrace.  
Finally the sun was visible. The clouds parted a little bit to let the now rare rays of sunshine warm him up a bit, as the picked out his phone. Carefully he took a sip of the still hot coffee, while he opened Twitter. Jerome had sent him some messages since their phone call, so he had to give him a ring sooner or later for sure-

Mitch chocked on his coffee, put the cup aside and leaned forward.  
Adam and Alesa had broken up.

The tweets were not even a day old – no wonder the other guy seemed so sad yesterday. He probably wanted to be all angry at him, but the feelings from the break-up must have been too strong.  
To say Mitch was shocked was an understatement. During the holidays, as Team Crafted had still been together, he'd met her. At first she seemed to be a nice girl, humorous and as crazy as Adam himself. Later on, shortly before Adam and Mitch's big fight, things had begun to go down. Break-ups, getting together again, broken hearts… She meant the world to Adam obviously, but Mitch couldn't get rid of the feeling that she did more harm than good.

He'd been hurt too much already during his life.  
The last he needed was a girlfriend that slowly but surely destroyed him.  
Mitch wouldn't say it out loud in front of Adam, but he was glad they broke up.

Half an hour later Mitch was still sitting on the porch of Adam's house, arms crossed in front of his chest and staring at the lake. His eyes were blank, his thoughts at rest. Absentmindedly he took a moment to finally relax and get some rest. This place was heaven. He would never move back to LA, no matter what Murphy said. The stress of the city was too much. He needed exactly this, a peaceful place to find himself and to just take a timeout to breathe.

The restless sleep of the last night finally got to him and his eyes closed, as he slowly fell asleep.  
He woke up some time later, blinked and yawned. Then he noticed, that the cold wasn't getting to him anymore, but not because he got used to it. As Mitch glanced down, he noticed the thick woolen blanket around his shoulders. It was so long that it covered his knees as well. The sun was hidden behind the clouds again, but as Mitch glanced up into the sky, he noticed something else from the corner of his eyes.

"Morning."  
Adam was sitting in the chair beside him with his feet propped up on an empty chair.

His stare was hard, even though his posture was lazy. The sadness was gone and replaced by the same look Adam had given him the night before. It was so controversial to his nice gesture with the blanket, that Mitch couldn't hold back the shiver. He knew he deserved every single second of it, but with the help on his early workout he'd tried to get a more positive view of things… Obviously he was heading in the wrong direction.

As Adam looked away to the water, Mitch released a breath he didn't know he was holding. It hurt. He didn't want to admit it, but every glance and every hateful word by the person he admired the most was pushing him further and further into the self-dug pit. For a moment he tried to be selfish – wasn't he punished enough already by all the self-hatred?  
His mood was down most of the time and with every single video it got harder and harder to put up a smile and a convincing laugh for the viewers. Everything in his life seemed to be influenced by it and now he had to expose himself to the critique and the hate of his former friends?

He started to get out of the chair to have his mental breakdown elsewhere, as Adam picked up the word again.  
"We are not going to be friends anytime soon. You know that, don't you?"

Cold. Hateful. Mitch tried to hold back a whimper and replied with a quiet voice,  
"Of course I do."

And then Adam changed again and suddenly the anger was replaced by a soft tone Mitch wasn't used to at all.  
"Still, you don't have to stay in a hotel, it is way too expensive. And… thanks for the breakfast, I really appreciate it."

There he was, facing the doorway but being unable to move at all.  
He bit down forcefully on his lip, tried to steady his breath and closed his eyes tightly.  
His hands were balled into fists, his breath quickened.

"Mitch?"  
Adam's voice was suspicious.  
He could only see his backside, the fists and his trembling shoulders.

There he was.  
Caught between the desire to run from Adam's taunting words and the longing for a formerly friend, who reached the surface every so often.  
He wanted to scream at him, punch him out of the chair and force him to decide for one side.  
Hate or friendship.

But all he could do was force out the usual sentence that he got so sick of during the past weeks and months.  
His shacking voice betrayed him, nonetheless he tried to keep the act up.  
Keep it up until he was falling down his pit with no way of getting out of it ever again.

"I'm alright," he tried to convince Adam and himself at the same time, "Everything's fine."  
He failed with both of them.

* * *

I've uploaded two one-shots, if you're interested check them out:

\- **Muderous Night:** About Halloween and Mitch, who's alone at home and is being watched by something...  
_"__Never before in his life had he been so scared. His hands were trembling, his heart was pounding painfully in his chest and he held his breath, despite his burning lungs. The fear was dominating him and flowed through his veins, but there was something so much stronger than his dread could ever be. Curiosity. An emotion as deadly as love itself."_

\- **Bury My Love:** About the last Merome stream and all these little moments. What could have been.  
_"__Love. In another world they would've embraced it. In this one it was unreachable." _

Don't forget to check out my **Twitter** for further infos about my stories and stuff =)  
**\- at - Milumaus**


	8. Chapter 7: Steps

****AN:  
****Before the chapter starts I want to thank my dear reviewers** Chocolatepie277, CreeperCraft197, Stars Above The Moon &amp; TheAmazingQwerty**!****

* * *

**Music tip:  
Lana del Rey – Dark Paradise  
youtube: **watch?v=0SnSUbnx5Ys

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 7:  
**_Steps_

* * *

Adam wanted to be angry at Mitch.  
During their way to the parking lot and the first minutes back at his house he had succeeded, but as he went to his room to get another blanket for Mitch, everything he had left behind hit him at full strength.

Alesa.  
Their break-up.  
The betrayal.

The emotions he had carefully buried deep inside of himself came back to the surface, as he threw a glance at one of their pictures still occupying the nightstand. For a moment he forgot Mitch in the other room and sat down on the edge of the large bed he had once shared with her. Deep inside he knew that it had been the right decision, but above this knowledge was a thick layer of love, that just didn't want to disappear. Of course he could forget neither their feelings for each other, nor their wonderful memories.

But her betrayal had hurt too much.  
It was like Dawn all over again.

Over time he would heal for sure. He needed some distance, a few days to collect his thoughts and to calm down. But now Mitch of all people had to stay with him. Not only that – his only chance to keep his current job and to continue his passion was a reunion of Team Crafted. It was his only chance. He had to pull through, even though the topic about Mitch…

The blanket. Right.  
He almost forgot.

With a sigh he stood up again, grabbed the photo of Alesa and him, picked up a large blanket and went back. On the way to the living room he threw the picture in the bin without looking back once. She wasn't worth it, he tried to tell himself. But where to go with all the sadness? How could he get his usually cheerful behavior back again? Every single time it became harder and harder.

Mitch stood in the living room and was admiring the furnishing.  
"Here you go," he said with a neutral tone in his voice and Adam was nearly as surprised about it as Mitch was. He quickly turned around and flinched, his eyes wide and a bit scared. If Adam wouldn't have been so sad, he would have ignored it due to his anger. Now he could scrutinize him a bit longer, a bit more precisely.  
Adam hadn't seen his former friend in months, but nonetheless he saw the haunted look in his eyes, the mistrust and the fear. A second later it was gone and with a careful smile on his face he took the blanket. "Thank you. I don't want to be rude, but can I maybe-"  
Mitch slowly looked at the furnace and for a short moment Adam felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. "Sure, use it. You'll find the wood outside."

Adam cursed himself in his thoughts.  
His tone gave it away.

Mitch stopped his movement and slowly turned around to look at Adam longer than before. He had heard it clearly in the tone of his voice. After the anger was gone, all that was left was his sadness. His guest took a second to think twice, before he asked carefully, "Are you okay?" He didn't move and looked very sincere, but Adam knew better. He had to remind himself, how this guy in front of him really thought of his supposedly friends. His nice attitude had fooled them once before and got them to make a horrible decision. Adam would never do the same mistake twice. His stare turned frosty.

"See you later I guess."

"…Good night."

Mitch sounded disappointed, as Adam turned around and left the living room without another word. The hate that had been replaced by his sadness slowly bubbled up again and he embraced it dearly. With the help of the photo in the bin, which he passed on his way to the bedroom, the anger became stronger and satisfied about the more appealing emotions Adam went to bed.  
This night he hadn't got a restful sleep at all.

Even on the next morning his mind was still filled with thoughts of Alesa, Mitch, the offer of Microsoft and Team Crafted. It was as quite as always and Adam enjoyed the moment of silence, which was only interrupted by some birds outside. A little smile slipped on his face, as he smelled fresh coffee. Then he froze. Had it been Mitch? Probably.  
The smile disappeared and already having a bad mood, Adam went to the bathroom to get himself ready for the day.

Thick clouds painted the sky in a sick grey, hiding the sun from the world. Adam sighed as he entered the kitchen and looked skeptically around. "What the heck-?" he uttered confused and glanced at the table in the middle of the room, which was set for breakfast. A coffeepot stood near a plate and a cup, also there was a bread basket with his favorite things from the bakery. Taking a deep breath he moved forward and found a little note on the plate.

_I'm really sorry – for everything. :(_

"Damn it Mitch, can't you just behave like an asshole, please?" he rambled with a low voice in case he was near.  
It was such a nice gesture and again Adam felt the hate disappear. He tried to maintain it, but it was no use. Looking around he couldn't see Mitch anywhere, so he allowed himself a small smile and sat down on the table to enjoy his breakfast. It was delicious and after finishing the meal he stood up again to find his guest. He had to be somewhere. Was he recording a video for YouTube?

At first Adam looked in the living room, but there was no trace of Mitch. He was already turning around to search the other rooms, as he noticed a figure outside on the terrace sitting in one of the chairs. "Ah, caught you!" he grinned and walked over to the door leading outside. Before he exited the house he took a second to let the friendly expression vanish, then he opened the door and stepped outside.

"Morning."  
He got no answer.

At first Adam wanted to explode and scream at the guy who was even above himself to greet him, but then he stood in front of Mitch and saw the actual reason. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes were closed, as he continued to sleep peacefully. Without saying a word Adam picked up the dirty dishes and brought them back into the kitchen. It was too cold to have breakfast outside, but nonetheless Mitch had done it because he knew that Adam wouldn't eat with him at the same table.

Guilt mixed with his anger, for once directed at himself, and with a sigh he picked up a red woolen blanket. Back outside Mitch's position hadn't changed and careful not to wake him he put the blanket over the sleeping form of the Canadian. His hands rested on Mitch's shoulders and longer than necessary Adam scrutinized his pale face again. He would never admit it, but Mitch was as handsome as he had been back then, even though he had dark rings under his eyes. Another sigh escaped his lips, he got back up and sat down on the other chair.

Usually Adam enjoyed the silence and the chance to relax from his wonderful, but stressful job. Today he felt uneasy and got goose bumps all over his skin, but not due to the cold. The light was awkward and the clouds looked more threatening than the days before. He would prefer to go back inside, but he didn't want to leave Mitch outside all alone. Sure, Adam could just wake him up, but he looked really tired and needed some sleep.

Adam frowned.  
Where did these damn thoughts come from? Why was he so nice all of a sudden? Mitch deserved all his anger and his hate, but… It was so easy to fall back into his old state of mind and just care for the Canadian like he did before their fight. Adam unconsciously wanted to look out for him, because he had the bad habit of not caring enough for himself when he was stressed. Obviously it didn't change over the time.

Half an hour later Adam had put up his feet on another chair and was looking at his phone, as a low groan drew his attention to his right. Mitch was waking up and with a yawn he rubbed his eyes. At first he didn't seem to notice Adam in the chair beside him, as he confusedly looked down at the blanket and then up into the sky. Finally he noticed Adam and stared at him abruptly with wide, fearful eyes.

It was a short moment in which he saw the Canadian's vulnerability.  
Unconsciously it triggered some memories, hidden deep in his thoughts-  
_**Screams.**__ Furious words, horrible and unforgivable. Neither of them quieted down, as they pushed each other higher and higher.  
**A word.**__ Every noise disappeared in an instant. A disbelieving laugh and then all emotions turned to ice-cold rage.  
**Another scream.**__ A push, splintering glass and then a realization. But the anger didn't leave.  
**Shock.**__ It was written all over his face and mixed with the panic and the fear it enraged him even more._

Mitch wore the same look on his face.  
The memories of their fight came alive once again and with them the emotions.

"Morning."  
His voice was even worse than yesterday night.  
With satisfaction Adam watched the other one squirm under his piercing look.  
As he released Mitch from his hateful stare, he heard him gasp for air.  
A cruel smile adorned his face, while he watched the waves on the water.

It felt like a lifetime until Mitch suddenly stood up and turned to leave.  
Of course Adam wouldn't let him go just like that. Too long had he kept the feelings at bay and scratched at the surface now and again. The time had come to show Mitch the true scale of the disaster that had occurred back then. Just once, just a little comment to see him break a little further…

"We are not going to be friends anytime soon. You know that, don't you?"  
Teasing. Hateful. Cold.

"Of course I do."  
A whisper, barely audible. Choking.  
He sounded so lost, so broken in this moment that it pulled Adam out of his dark trance. His usual self, caring for others, became stronger and as he saw the trembling boy in front of him, it could lock the cruel side of him away for now. It wasn't gone completely, it never was, but Adam was able to say some nice words to calm his guest down a bit.

After all it was a condition to befriend Mitch again, otherwise he would lose his job and everything he held dear.  
"Still, you don't have to stay in a hotel, it is way too expensive. And… thanks for the breakfast, I really appreciate it."  
Mitch's reaction wasn't the one he was expecting. Instead of losing his tense stance it got even worse. His hands balled into fists and he began to tremble more than before. Adam bit on his lower lip. One side of him cheered because of the sight in front of him, but the other one screamed at him to do something useful for once.  
His emotions were a mess, more than ever before.

"Mitch?"  
He didn't manage to sound as friendly as he had intended to do, more suspiciously, but it did the job and made him talk.

"I'm alright," he tried to convince Adam with a horribly shaking voice, "Everything's fine."  
Of course he failed.

Before Adam had the chance to reply, Mitch hurried inside and made a beeline for the hallway. Without thinking twice Adam jumped out of his seat and followed him. He was a few steps behind the escaping Canadian as he raised his voice again, "Wait, you're obviously not! What's up?"

He should've thought twice before starting to talk.  
Too late did he realize that his words would provoke Mitch even more.

Roaring he turned around on the spot and began to yell.  
"How _dare_ you, Adam?! How the fuck dare you asking me something like that?!"

His face mirrored his inner feelings perfectly.  
Never before had Adam been able to read the Canadian so easily.

Pure desperation shimmered in his eyes, mixed with the scarred reflection of his soul. A haunted look flitted across his pale face and his hollow cheeks made him look multiple years older than he was. Adam was completely taken aback and stared at Mitch with wide opened eyes.

"I'm trying like hell to please you! Every word I said to you since our meeting is so nice I wanna _puke_, every look I give you is so charming that anyone else would've _jumped_ me by now! But no, not even the fucking breakfast showed you how goddamn serious I am about this!"  
A dry laugh, the yelling stopped and Mitch began to talk in a voice that was even scarier – low, hollow and incredibly dark.

"I know that I screwed up big time Adam, but you don't have to rub it in every second of my existence. You don't want to be friends? Alright, I can live with that, but please, Adam, _please_ don't give me the final push. It's hard enough to live with the guilt of destroying everything we held dear back then and I swear I can't stand another person doing that too."  
The fight he had shown just seconds ago had disappeared completely. Now Mitch just looked incredibly exhausted, but not because of the lack of sleep.

"I'm going to sleep a bit."  
He turned around to go back to the couch, but Adam's voice held him back.

"I can do that."  
Mitch stopped and turned around again, his expression reserved.  
"What?"

Adam cleared his throat, stared at the ground and then back up again with a sincere expression on his face.  
"Not being an asshole, I mean."

Mitch didn't smile. Instead he scrutinized Adam for a long time, before he replied quietly, "I would appreciate that."  
Then he went back to the living room and left Adam alone in the hallway with a million thoughts on his mind.

* * *

Please leave a vote and a comment to let me know what you think of the chapter.  
Also don't forget to check out my twitter for further infos about the stories: _ -at- Milumaus_


	9. Chapter 8: No Mercy

**AN:  
**Before the chapter starts I wanna thank - as always - my adorable reviewers **Chocolatepie277, , Novaglare &amp; TheAmazingQwerty!**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Tom Odell – Can't Pretend  
youtube: **watch?v=B4-OxOmsqR0

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 8:  
**_No Mercy_

* * *

Of course the nap Mitch took after his tantrum wasn't restful at all.  
He woke up some hours later at around 3pm with a stiff neck and an aching back. A groan escaped his throat, as he sat up slowly and looked around, still enveloped in the blanket he had used for the night. At least he wasn't freezing anymore. It had been a bad idea to fall asleep on the terrace with the now very low temperatures. Mitch was sure that Murphy wasn't very keen on having him sick on the first day of his official employment.

A crackling sound made him jump and he looked abruptly to his left side-  
the fireplace was lit and spread a cozy heat.

Mitch's ears picked up another sound. Heavy raindrops were pelting against the large wall made out of glass and thick, dark clouds covered the sky. For a moment Mitch had the feeling it was already nighttime again, because the only light source was from the fire.  
With a sigh he lay back down and stared up, where shadows were spinning across the ceiling in an uncoordinated dance. His breathing slowed down again and his eyelids began to drop, while random thoughts filled his mind.

Most of them involved Adam of course.  
He shouldn't have snapped and screamed at his host earlier. Not when everything depended on their relationship, which up until now was pretty much non-existent. But Adam's constant teasing and the hate he spewed at him at every possible occasion took its toll on Mitch. Wasn't it enough that he couldn't forgive himself for what had happened? Adam's words were too much to bear and right now Mitch ached desperately for some peace. Just some hours in which he could rest – both his body and his soul.

Needless to say things didn't work out as planned.  
"You're finally awake."

For a moment Mitch considered even looking at him, before he pulled himself together and glanced over his shoulder at the lurking shadow in the doorway. He wasn't sure how his voice would sound, so Mitch better kept quiet for now. Another escalating situation wasn't needed.  
As Adam noticed that his guest wasn't going to answer, he continued, "Murphy called several times and wants to speak to you."  
Immediately Mitch sat up straight again and stared at Adam, before he burst out, "What did he want?"

"No idea, he didn't tell me."  
"You should have woken me up!"  
"I tried."

Adam pushed himself off of the doorway and stepped into the light of the fireplace, crossing his arms over his chest. Nonetheless he didn't seem to be as disgusted by his presence as he had been before. His eyes silently regarded Mitch, who still sat on the couch buried under the blanket, when he finally continued,  
"Actually he called you several times on your phone, but you didn't wake up. After the third try I answered it, because you weren't even moving."  
"Oh, well, thank you," Mitch stuttered, surprised about the fact that his restless sleep had been so deep.

"I'm going to get us something to eat. You should call him back."  
Without another word Adam turned around and left the living room. A minute later he returned to ask Mitch if pizza was okay, then he left the house to run some errands. He was eager to stand by his promise and Mitch admired him for trying at least. In the past his plans had often been revoked rather quickly due to his moods. Mitch didn't expect it to be different this time, but he would enjoy it as long as possible.

With a sigh he leaned back and slipped under the blanket once more, before he grabbed his phone from the table. Several messages and missed calls of Murphy, Jerome and his parents destroyed the rest of his motivation and a reserved expression adorned his face, as he called the number of his best friend.

It rang barely once, until the call was picked up.  
"_What the fuck, Mitch?!"_

Several moments passed but as Mitch tried to answer, Jerome rambled on.  
"_Where have you been?! We were worried sick man! You can't just talk about a mysterious meeting with Adam and this Microsoft guy and then just disappear like that!"  
_Jerome left him speechless and Mitch already dreaded the phone call with his parents. They for sure were ready to murder him. "Jerome, I-"  
"_No one knows where you are right now! Do you have any idea what your parents are thinking? I can't wait for them to talk some sense into you."  
_  
"You have called them?!"  
Mitch finally got the chance to reply, but the thought of Jerome telling his parents that he didn't know about his whereabouts…  
"_Of course I did."  
_Finally Jerome's angry voice calmed down a bit and with a worried sigh he started a proper conversation.  
"_Seriously Mitch, where have you been?"_

"Currently I'm at Adam's."  
Silence.  
Several seconds passed, Mitch could hear other voices in the background and then Jerome asked him to talk, _"Explain. What happened after you had arrived at this guy's office?"  
_Mitch couldn't tell him, right? No, every detail was confidential and Murphy would murder him, if Mitch blabbed something.

"We talked, Adam was there as well and I had no hotel for the night, so he let me stay with him. That's it."

"…_yeah sure, Mitch. What was the talk about?"_

"I can't tell you, sorry."

"_You've got to be kidding me, right? You know I'm not gonna tell anyone."_

"Sorry Biggums, you know I can't talk about it. Remember what I told you in the car?"  
Mitch wanted to tell Jerome about Murphy and his dirty schemes, but he had no choice. One slip-up was enough to endanger his family, his career and the future of the former Team Crafted guys. He wouldn't risk it – he **couldn't.  
**"_I do. Don't tell me he-"_

He knew what Jerome was suggesting and stopped him before he could bring Mitch in a precarious situation.  
"It's okay Jerome, you don't have to worry. Seriously, I'm fine."  
"_Sure you are. Are you kidding me? As soon as I'm there you have to-"_

"Wait, wait, wait!" Mitch interrupted him and frowned, while he put a hand on his forehead. "As soon as you're here? What are you talking about?"  
Now it was Jerome's turn to sound surprised, while he explained, _"That's odd. Murphy said he would tell you. We – the Team Crafted guys and I – are heading over to Washington right now. Tomorrow we have an appointment with Murphy."_

Jerome didn't even have the time to think about an answer, as Mitch pressed out some restrained words and ended the call.  
"Sorry, call you back later."

"_But Mit-"_

Murphy had tried to call him several times and now Mitch knew what the mysterious man had wanted to tell him. Not a minute later he stood in front of the open patio door and waited for Murphy to pick up the phone, while he took some deep breaths to calm down a bit.

Mitch heard the familiar sound of a connected line and started, before his new boss could say his name.  
"I'm gonna destroy you, if you plan on blackmailing them as well!"

"_Mr. Hughes, it's nice of you to finally call me back. I hope you had a good nap?"  
_The kindness in his voice couldn't be more fake and with an angry snort Mitch began to pace.  
"I swear to god-"

"_You're amusing me, Mr. Hughes, vowing on god even though you don't believe in this religion."  
_The comment caught him completely off guard and Mitch abruptly stopped his pacing. "I- what?"  
"_It was in one of your… what was it called? Oh, right. It was in one of your former bYd-podcasts, wasn't it?"_ Mitch walked over to the couch and sat down with shaking legs. _"A nice little series you had back then with Mr. Aceti, Mr. Nucciarone and your other friends from Montreal. It has a lot of potential, but the topics are too private. Nobody should have knowledge of stories like the one about your blackout at Mr. Nucciarone's party, right?"_

Suddenly it was way too warm in the room, even though Mitch had just opened the door to the terrace. His hands began to tremble and he was as white as a sheet. Murphy knew everything. Not even the former Team Crafted members had heard of their unknown podcasts, but **he** knew. Mitch felt sick and had to take some deep breaths to choke back the bile.

Murphy had been serious about his threat all the time.

"_Don't you dare underestimating me, Mr. Hughes. There were people before you, making the same mistake."  
_The rest of the explanation was left unsaid. It was unnecessary. Mitch got the hidden message.

"I won't."  
His voice was barely audible, filled with fear and defeat.  
Mitch couldn't see Murphy's face, nonetheless the big grin on his lips was obvious.

"_Wonderful. Now shall we talk about the way you're going to convince your friends of our little project tomorrow?"_

* * *

What do you think of the chapter? Leave a comment please!  
Don't forget to follow me on **Twitter** for up-to-date infos about my stories and their progress. =) _ Milumaus  
_  
_**MERRY CHRISTMAS** _from Germany everyone, I hope you all have some wonderful days! :)

**New cover! Do you guys like it? =)**


	10. Chapter 9: Target

**AN:**  
Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my gorgeous reviewers **DeadFicDude, Novaglare, mulzypops &amp; TheAmazingQwerty!  
**  
I was tagged to do the **20-Facts Challenge** on Wattpad. Do you guys have a question for me? Something you always wanted to know? Something about me, my stories or sth. else? _Let me know in the comments or via Twitter!_**  
**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Fran Healy – In The Morning  
youtube: **watch?v=7z_rXLELnBk

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 9:  
**_Target_

* * *

"You sure you're alright?"  
Adam threw a cautious look in Mitch's direction, while they drove together back into the city. When he had returned the evening before with their food, his guest had just been sitting on the couch, head in his hands and unmoving. He had forced himself to eat something, but obviously something very serious had happened during Adam's absence.  
But Mitch hadn't said a word about it. Was it because of Murphy's call?

"Yeah, don't worry," Mitch finally replied and continued to stare out of the window, while Adam sat on the driver's seat. Of course he was lying. "Sure. You know Murphy is going to murder me, if you look like hell. He'll think I did this to you," Adam said without thinking first and then pressed his lips firmly together as he realized, that he indeed could be responsible. Surprisingly Mitch began to chuckle lowly and shook his head, before he replied, "No, actually you're not the reason. Just didn't sleep well, have a lot on my mind at the moment."

"Do you mind telling me what exactly?"

"I do actually," Mitch answered coldly and was silent for the rest of the drive.  
They arrived on the parking lot, but this time it was hard to find a free spot. As he finally did, Mitch was out of the car even before Adam had stopped it properly. With a sigh he excited the car as well and followed Mitch, who was already on his way up the stairs. He thought about calling the other boy back, but it was no use. He wouldn't listen anyway.

To be honest the sudden change of Mitch scared the hell out of Adam.  
He was the one who wanted to try the whole friendship-thing again and now that Adam had promised to bury the hate, Mitch pushed him away. His answers were short and he avoided direct eye contact most of the time.  
Adam knew they weren't friends - not even close - but things needed to change before Murphy would see him like that.

"Mitch, wait!"  
Adam finally caught up to him in the main hall. On the left side was the reception, to the right three elevators. With crossed arms Mitch stood impatiently in front of them, as Adam approached him. "You have to stop this right now!"

"Why should I?"

Adam exploded and gave a false laugh, before he raised his voice, "Because it's not just your ass on the line. It would be great if you for once, Mitch, for once be thinking of all the people who are involved!"  
People began to look at them, although Adam couldn't care less at the moment. His blood was boiling, but at least he had Mitch's attention now. A cold glare was the first sign of Mitch's rage, as he turned around and raised his eyebrows. "Say that again, Adam. I dare you."

Of course he wouldn't retreat now.  
It probably would have been the right thing to do, but as Mitch stared at him with a challenging look in his eyes, he slowly repeated, "Do me the favor, Mitch. Try not to be selfish for once." Mitch was ready to go for his throat, but he held himself back - as usual. Instead of showing how upset he was, Mitch lowered his voice and the hate he had first shown on the day before in Adam's hallway became visible again.  
"You have no idea who I am, Adam! Right now everything I do is for the sake of other people!" Slowly he retreated, but before Adam could formulate an answer, he continued with a humorless smile on his lips. "Glad to see that you couldn't keep your promise after all – I was worried for a second that you would actually pull through."

"You're making it very hard for me, you know that?! Stop sulking! When Murphy sees you like that-"

"He wouldn't lift a finger."  
Mitch turned around again and continued to wait for the elevator.

Adam didn't know what exactly it was – the tone of his voice, the tense stance or the wrinkles on Mitch's forehead. Something was bothering him more than before and somehow it was connected to Murphy, wasn't it?  
"What is it with you and him? At our first meeting it was like that as well."

"Back off, Adam."  
Mitch got nervous and threw him an unsure glance.  
"Oh god, this whole behavior of you this morning is because of him, right?"

Panic.  
It was barely visible in Mitch's eyes, as the elevator arrived and he quickly turned away, but Adam was able to see it nonetheless. He was right.  
"Just stop it, please!"  
Mitch tried to get away, but Adam grabbed his upper arm tightly to hold him back and turned him around again. "No, tell me right now! What the hell is going on between you?!"

He tried to free his arm, but Mitch wasn't strong enough. The panic on his face mixed with his despair and Adam began to be afraid. It couldn't be that bad, could it? Murphy seemed to be a nice guy who actually tried to save their jobs, if his words were honest. But Mitch's reaction on the other hand was so untypical for him… Adam wanted to believe that Mitch was exactly like that, but he knew better. Adam's opinion of him had always been characterized by his anger towards the former friend. Their fight had been ugly and he still couldn't forgive Mitch for the things he had said-

But he should feel the same about Adam. So why wasn't he? Sure, Mitch was fuming because of Adam's behavior, nonetheless he should've reacted completely different during their last days together. Mitch had every right to be mad at him, probably more than the other way round. Still he wanted them to be friends again and did everything he could to help Adam. It was ridiculous, but what was the reason for it?  
Was it really just because of Murphy?

"I'm not," began Mitch with a shaking voice and tried to get away again, but Adam tightened the grip around his arm. Before Adam had the chance to question him further regarding the topic, an arm appeared in his line of sight. The attached body separated them a second later and Adam had to give up his grip on Mitch. Immediately the person pulled the surprised Canadian a bit to the side, then he put himself between his protégée and Adam. Another pair of hands grabbed Adam's shoulders and stopped him from moving, even though he was still standing on the same spot.

"I have no idea what's going on here, but you better get your hands off of Mitch, Adam!"  
Jerome.  
With a protective stance he stood in front of his best friend and stared at Adam with a cautious look. They must've arrived in the hall a few seconds before and Adam could understand why he was acting like that:  
Mitch's scared face, the visible panic and the despair -  
Adam grabbing and stopping him from getting away.

Ian was standing on Adam's right side, while the rest of the guys slowly stepped closer. He raised his hands to defuse the situation and opened his mouth to calm them down, as Mitch beat him to it.  
"It's alright, seriously. It probably looked much worse than it really was. We were just arguing about something." The smile on his face was convincing and Ian released Adam's shoulders, but Jerome continued to stare at Mitch doubtfully. "That's what you're saying all day long – _'Everything's fine, don't worry.'_ Somehow I can't believe that anymore."

"I am glad to see you all have arrived safely. Welcome to the _Microsoft_ headquarters in Redmond, my name is Tom Murphy. Why don't we relocate this nice… _chatter_ to my bureau?"  
Murphy stood in front of the elevators with a welcoming smile on his friendly face.  
Even though Murphy had just saved him from replying to Jerome, Mitch's face couldn't have been more worried and anxious than it did right now.

* * *

Adam is getting questioning - but he seems to have a quite different impression of Murphy.  
What do you think is going to happen next?!

Follow me on **twitter** for several news and info about me and my stories - _ Milumaus_!


	11. Chapter 10: No Weakness

**AN:  
**Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my reviewers of the last chapter **mulzypops, Chocolatepie277, PrincessLyoka, Novaglare, DeadFicDude &amp; TheAmazingQwerty!  
**As I've already told you, I was tagged to do the **20-Facts Challenge**. Do you guys still have questions for me? Something you always wanted to know? Something about me, my stories or sth. else? _Let me know in the comments or via Twitter!_**  
**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Memtrix – So Alive  
youtube: **watch?v=g6za-Cf3khU

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 10:  
**_No Weakness_

* * *

"Okay, that sounds quite… promising. Can you give us some minutes to discuss this, please?"  
Ian's voice was steady and calm, as he asked Mr. Murphy to leave them alone in the office after his explanation of what the deal was about. As Mitch had expected, the former team was quite shocked about the fact that they had to either quit their YouTube jobs or join Microsoft, but they had accepted it way faster than Mitch would have liked them to.

"Of course, I will be back in a few minutes."  
With a smile on his face Murphy got out of his chair and passed the group peacefully. Most of them sat in chairs in front of his desk, while Adam sat quietly behind them on the side. Mitch had refused to take a seat and leaned against the wall, but surprisingly Murphy hadn't said anything about it. Was it because of the others in the room?

Right now he was presenting his alter ego quite well so far.  
Every other person had to think he was a nice guy, who tried to help them as best as he could under the given circumstances.

Mitch pressed his lips tightly together, while the guys already began to talk to each other about the deal. Murphy came closer and was about to pass Mitch, as he casually raised his voice.  
"Mr. Hughes, there is still something regarding the contract of yours, can we please resolve that very quick?"

Adam quickly looked up, Jerome and Ian too.  
Murphy's sharp and frosty stare was hidden from them, because he stood with his back towards the group, but Mitch understood the implied message easily.  
A forced smile crept on his face and with a calm tone in his voice he tried to reply friendly, "Sure, no problem."

As soon as the door to the bureau was closed, Murphy grabbed Mitch's arm forcefully and pulled him into the next room, in which his secretary was. The young man glanced up from his computer with wide open eyes and didn't say a word when Murphy bellowed, "Out. Now." He was gone even before Murphy pushed Mitch against the next wall with his hands on his shoulders.

"I have to admit that I'm slowly losing my patience, Mr. Hughes."  
His words were as professional as always, while his low growl and his firm grip on Mitch's shoulders silenced him immediately. The look in Murphy's eyes though was the worst and Mitch's heart began to beat faster, as he tried to fight against the panic building up inside of his chest.

"Do you remember at all what we have talked about yesterday?"  
His voice had a teasing edge in it and increased the intimidating effect it had on Mitch.  
"Of course I do," he whispered and remembered the words of his new boss from the evening before. The phone call had ended way different than he had expected at the beginning.

"_Don't you dare underestimating me, Mr. Hughes. There were people before you, making the same mistake."_

"You have to learn that following my instructions is easier than to be obstructive all the god damn time! Does it really have to be the hard way?"

All Mitch wanted right now was to get away from him at once. His breath was going faster and his hands began to tremble. He was scared out of his mind – Murphy was a strong opponent with connections all over the place. Not only was his father's job at stake. His mother's reputation, his sister's relationship to a man working at Microsoft himself…

His voice broke as he began to formulate an answer, so he only shook his head while he avoided Murphy's gaze.  
"Then you should finally start to cooperate. Convince them of the deal – now!"

Before Mitch returned into the office to discuss the matter together with his former team, he went for the bathroom. His legs were shaking and he had to support himself on the sink for a moment, while he stared at his pale reflection in the mirror.

It shouldn't be like that.  
Mitch should fight against Murphy – inform his superiors, the fans and his parents. The rest of the team. Especially Jerome.  
He should be happy about the fact that the team was about to be reunited once more. After all it was all he had ever wanted after the break up for which he was responsible.  
He should be glad to be one of the chosen ones working for Microsoft. What was going to happen to the rest of the Youtubers? What about Rob, Mat and all of his friends?

He should fight.  
Instead he turned more and more into Murphy's bitch because he couldn't risk the well-being of his family. They meant too much to him and had helped him through everything so far. The least he could do was to protect them and their regular lives from Murphy's plans and threats.

* * *

Mitch opened the door to the office and immediately everyone stopped talking.  
It was awkward as they stared at him in silence for a moment, while Mitch closed the door as nonchalantly as possible, but he wasn't able to relax his clenched muscles before the guys finally started talking again.

Of course Mitch didn't miss the skeptical look Adam was giving him, nonetheless he tried to ignore it as he walked over to an unoccupied seat next to the group. After Ty had finished the rest of his sentence, Jerome turned to him and asked with a frown on his face,  
"Mind telling us what the conversation was about? Or can't you talk about this either?"

"It was about my contract as he had said," Mitch began cooperatively and the surprise was visible in Jerome's eyes. It brought a thin smile on Mitch's face and helped him to keep his voice calm and steady. "I forgot to sign something, that's it."

"Sure. It just took you ten minutes to sign a single paper."  
Adam.

Mitch clenched his teeth before he turned around in his seat and glanced at the older boy with a raised eyebrow. He had to be more careful in the future. His careless actions during the past days had made Adam suspicious and Jerome as well of course.  
"Sorry for not inviting you to going to the toilet with me, my mistake."

For another moment it was silent.  
Then everyone around him burst out laughing and involuntary Mitch had to join in.

Maybe it wasn't that bad.  
Maybe they actually could go back to being the group of close friends they had been before.

The door opened and Murphy stepped back into his office.  
"Did you already decide or do you need more time?"  
The laughter ceased and Jerome regarded Mitch with a questioning look on his face. He understood his best friend's question immediately and thought a moment about his divided emotions, but then Mitch slowly nodded. It would turn out all right one way or another.

"We do it."

The gleam in Murphy's eyes could have easily been mistaken for happiness about the successful deal, but Mitch saw it as the power-hungry and for now satisfied gleam of his desire to completely control them.  
It put a damper on his newly acquired assurance that everything would work out in the end, but Murphy's following words made it a thousand times worse.

"That is great! Now I can luckily inform you about the fact that you will be able to move into your old house in Los Angeles again!"

He did neither hear the happy words of his friends, nor Murphy talking to his secretary to bring him the contracts.  
The smile on his face completely vanished and Mitch paled instantly, while he remembered his random thoughts from the day before.

_This place was heaven. He would never move back to LA, no matter what Murphy said. The stress of the city was too much. He needed exactly this, a peaceful place to find himself and to just take a timeout to breathe._

"No."  
Mitch knew he should rather keep quiet now, but the thought of going back into the big and haunting house, where the fight between Adam and him had occurred…  
The memories were still in his mind, vivid and unforgettable.

"I'm not moving back to LA."

* * *

What do you guys think about the chapter? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to give me some facts/questions you are wondering about! ;)

_My Twitter: Milumaus_


	12. Chapter 11: Changes

**AN:  
**Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my woooonderful reviewers of the last chapter: **DarkMaster98, TheAmazingQwerty, Lily, DeadFicDude, Novaglare, mulzypops &amp; Guest!** You guys are amazing, please keep up all the support! :D**  
**  
I finally uploaded the **20-facts-challenge**. I wanted to post it to my livejournal, but it didn't work out the way I wanted it to, so I'll give you the **link **to the wattpad-upload** in my profile!** Look it up, _I answered the questions you guys had for me as well!_ =)

* * *

**Music tip:  
LOLO – Weapon for Saturday  
youtube: **watch?v=7o3jir7J_Kw

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 11:  
**_Changes_

* * *

"No. I'm not moving back to LA."

Adam and everyone else fell silent immediately, as Mitch declined the idea of moving back into their old house in Los Angeles. Some were surprised and exchanged clueless glances, while the rest of the newly reunited team looked pissed off. It was understandable – Murphy helped them to keep their jobs, even though Microsoft obviously wasn't keen on having youtubers play their games on the internet. Now they had the chance to revive their memories and their friendship in the house where it all had begun. But Mitch was against it.

Murphy's face was unreadable as he sat down on his chair again.  
"And why is that, Mr. Hughes?"

Adam glanced carefully back to Mitch, who had been incredibly pale all the morning. It didn't fit at all to his happy personality and his usually shining hazel eyes, which now had a dirty and dull gleam in them. Something was wrong and Adam was sure that some of the guys had noticed the change as well. They hadn't seen Mitch in a long time, but they still remembered their former friend quite well.  
And Adam assumed to know the reason for it. At least parts of it. Again his look went back to Murphy.

"I… I just thought it would be nice to start somewhere new," Mitch slowly began and returned Murphy's stare. "I'm not keen on going back into this big city. Why don't we move somewhere calmer? Like here for example?" The more Mitch explained, the more confident he became and before he continued he looked to everybody around him. "We are nearby the headquarters, but it's not as bad as in LA."

The angry looks disappeared and Ian and Jason actually nodded their approval, but just as they wanted to carry on the conversation, someone knocked on the door and a man only a few years older than Adam himself entered the office. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Sir. The contracts are ready to sign now."

"So fast?" Ian asked while Adam turned his head back around to watch his new boss. He had a satisfied smile on his face and nodded approvingly toward his secretary. "We already finished the contract a bit earlier due to Mr. Hughes and Mr. Dahlberg. For you we only had to do some minor changes. Why don't you follow Mr. Brice, read and sign the contracts and then we can continue to discuss your future residence."

They all agreed and stood up together – Mitch and Adam as well, to help the others out in case something was unclear.

Of course it took the team a bit to read everything thoroughly and once in a while Mitch, Adam and the secretary Mr. Brice helped them out with complicated passages. About half an hour had passed already and Adam was just helping out Jason, when the chosen part was a problem for him as well. Mr. Brice explained something to Ian and Quentin, so Adam turned around to ask Mitch for help. "Hey, Mitch. Can you tell u-"

Adam interrupted himself and looked around the room, but Mitch had disappeared.  
Jerome and Ryan were talking quietly to each other in a corner of the small room, but both looked up as Adam was calling for them. "Did you see Mitch?"

"Murphy wanted to talk to him a few minutes ago. I guess they are in his office."

The last hours Mitch had behaved way too differently from his usual self. Instead of turning his attention back to Jason, he excused himself and went to the door to the hallway. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Adam was just overreacting, but he couldn't deny at this point that Mitch's behavior worried him. It was not only his way to react and to answer during the morning – there was something else that he was hiding from the beginning on.

Adam had to think back to their first meeting in front of Murphy's office.  
The look Mitch had been giving him…  
Then his words on the day before, as Mitch had finally let go of some of the tension…  
Adam was worried. Maybe he should talk to Jerome, when everything would have calmed down again.

No one was to be seen on the hallway and everything was quiet. Adam closed the door behind him carefully and looked around. Murphy's bureau was the room next to his secretary's and as Adam stepped closer, he could make out voices. Mitch and Murphy.

"…know what that means. One call, Mr. Hughes, it only takes one simple phone call."

"Please don't, I just wanted-"

"I guess you'll only learn your lesson when you finally realize how serious I am about this!"

"I swear I didn't mean to-"

Mitch's voice became more desperate, but something – or someone - interrupted him. Before the panic inside of Adam could take over control and make him burst into the room, the door behind him was opened again and the team left the small office of the secretary. They were excitedly talking to each other and didn't seem to see Adam, so he took the chance to avoid being questioned by them and entered Murphy's office after knocking on the door.

Mitch was sitting on a chair on one side of Murphy's desk, arms crossed in front of his chest and an impassive expression on his face. He glanced over his shoulder to Adam, but as the rest of the team followed as well, he looked back towards Murphy and slowly relaxed his clenched muscles.

Whatever the conversation had been about, both tried their best to not show any signs of it. However Adam was able to see through their masks a little bit, because now he _knew_ that Murphy was at least partly responsible for Mitch's behavior.  
While Mitch seemed to be glad about the interruption, Murphy looked unsatisfied for a second, but began to smile as soon as the team sat down on their seats again.

At first Adam had felt certain about Murphy being one of the good guys, who actually tried to help them through all of this mess.  
But now…

"So, shall we continue? Mitch had suggested that-"  
Ian began to pick up on their previously discussed topic, but Mitch interrupted him with a smile on his face. The situation began to feel surreal for Adam and he furrowed his brows, while he watched every move of the young Canadian.

"Actually I think it's better if we move to LA."

A short moment of silence gave Mitch the opportunity to explain his decision, before any of the guys could question his sudden choice.  
"I know, I was against it half an hour before, but during that time I had the chance to discuss the topic a bit more with Mr. Murphy and… I have to admit that he has a point. Sure, LA will be more stressful than for example Seattle, but we would have to travel so much more. Let's face it: we can reach conventions or jobs easier living in LA."

"…you're seriously okay with this? Are you sure?"  
Ian's voice sounded as disbelieving as Adam felt in the same moment, but Mitch smile was fucking convincing. He laughed and his eyes were shining as bright as they had done before the break-up of Team Crafted. For a moment Adam actually believed his act and doubted his own conclusions – but then he saw the strain in Mitch's wide smile and the reason for his shining eyes. They were welling up with tears and as soon as Murphy answered another question of Quentin regarding the move, Mitch looked to the other side to compose himself.

Five seconds later he watched the others again with a content smile on his lips.  
No one was aware of what just nearly happened, except for Adam.

He was about to speak up and force Mitch to finally tell him the truth, as a hand clutched his arm with a firm grip. Jerome. His stare was fixated on his best friend who ignored him ever since they had arrived at Redmond.

"But we can't just leave everything behind, can we? It's quite expensive as well!"

"Don't you worry, we'll incur any expenses."  
The discussion faded into the background, as Jerome leaned forward and whispered, "Not here. It won't do us any good if we confront him right now. Let's wait a bit – I guess we two should talk about what exactly had happened during the last days first."

* * *

I hope you liked the chapter, leave a vote and a comment please! =)  
What do you guys think will happen in the next chapters?

For more info about me and my stories follow me on **Twitter**: _ Milumaus_


	13. Chapter 12: No Resort

**AN:  
**Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my reviewers **Novaglare, Chocolatepie277, mulzypops, PrincessLyoka &amp; DeadFicDude!**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Timeflies ft. Katie Sky – Monsters (Acoustic)  
youtube: **watch?v=9lKVZZ5eRMU

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 12:  
**_No Resort_

* * *

Mitch had to be honest – they had done an excellent job.  
Just an hour ago he had arrived at the airport together with the whole group – the reunited _Team Crafted_. With three rental cars they had made their way back to the house, which none of them had thought to step in to again.

All the more surprising had been the fact that Mitch remembered the way to their villa without thinking twice. Was it due to Mitch's longing to have the team reunited again? Or were his secret visits responsible, which he had taken to take a trip down memory lane before they had sold it?

Now he was standing in front of the all too familiar building, painted in a fresh and bright tone of champagne. It fitted the house well and the newly adjusted garden made it look a three times more expensive as it really was.

"Isn't it beautiful?"  
Jerome stopped beside him and stared up at the house with wide open eyes. Mitch risked a look and glanced into his best friend's sparkling eyes and the happiness that practically radiated from him. With an inaudible sigh Mitch put a smile on his face and continued to muster his future home.

"It is. I never expected it to turn out that nicely."  
Desperately he tried to hide the frown on his face. Someone else _had_ to be skeptical as well! Just yesterday the group had still been in Redmond to sign the remaining contracts. Now they were in LA - the tickets for a flight had already been available and the house was freshly renovated.  
Murphy and whoever was involved in all of this must have planned this for a long time now. Team Crafted, buying Minecraft…

A shiver ran down his spine, as Mitch thought of all the things his new bosses could have planned for the future.  
But he couldn't talk to the others about it. They were too excited about the contract and the house to worry about those signs and either way Mitch wasn't allowed to say anything. He still had to talk to his parents, because another dozens of calls hadn't been answered by him. What should he tell them? The truth wasn't an option, but both of his parents wouldn't back down without a proper answer.

"Let's go inside," Jerome interrupted his thoughts and grabbed his arm to pull his best friend towards the door. As they finally entered the house, the rest of the team was already standing in the middle of the main hall, looking around with open mouths.  
Not only had they renovated the house and the garden – expensive but modern looking furniture was standing at its rightful places and made the rooms look brighter and bigger at the same time. Little accessories were placed carefully among the rooms, but every single thing suited the gamers perfectly.

Cheerful words rang around the large hall, as the others spread into the living room and the impressive garden on the outside. Mitch stayed behind and then slowly went towards the stairs. No one seemed to notice him, so he made his way up to escape the happy group, as a movement out of the corner of his eyes raised his suspicion.  
Jerome and Adam eyed the others warily and then the latter pulled his best friend towards the deserted kitchen.

For a moment Mitch furrowed his brows, but too much was on his mind already for him to really care for their actions at the moment. With an inaudible sigh and a lazy shrug of his shoulders the Canadian turned around again and continued his track to the upper floor.

As soon as Mitch had opened the door and taken a step inside of his old room, he stopped dead in his tracks.  
Of course they had changed it, he figured that much, but to see the place he once had called home like this now… Mitch would have lied to say it didn't hurt. Sure, for an outsider it all looked incredible Mitch-like, with the various items about his favorite band and ice hockey team.

But all of them only presented him on the outside.  
Not a single thing in the cold and unfamiliar room said something about his other, more private side, which he valued highly. So this was how people saw him?

Uncertain steps led his towards a small, practical mirror to his left, hanging over a dark dresser with a picture of Montreal on top of it. A humorless snort was the only thing holding him back from throwing the frame against the next wall.

No more slip-ups, Murphy had said.  
The team wasn't allowed to know.

Unconsciously the look in his eyes turned into a hard stare and the muscles in his back clenched painfully.  
How could it have come to this?  
Murphy held Mitch in the palm of his hand and he was unable to break free from the tight grip his new boss had on him. Never had the young Canadian anticipated that a situation like this was possible, not to him at least. But then there had been Murphy, whose weapons were more secretive and stronger than Mitch would have ever been able to predict.

Every time Mitch had made a contract with a company regarding his YouTube career, he had kept his mind on the conditions and behavior of his new acquaintances. His parents had warned him early to beware of the unpleasant sides his business could stir up, but now those sides had caught up with him and thrown him to the ground.

How was he able to keep the smile on his face to satisfy Murphy and keep his teammates oblivious to the whole ordeal?  
How was he able to fool his friends, his family and his fans – the whole world?

Suddenly the air in his room was too stuffy and the panic inside of him rose again, so Mitch crossed the room and threw open the door to his small balcony. The fresh and cold air of the October night was a blessing and like a drowning man Mitch took several deep breaths to calm his mind again. It worked partially.

Voices drifted up to the silent Canadian and he glimpsed carefully over the edge of the railing. It took him a moment to detect his friends near the pool, laughing out loud while shoving each other playfully in the direction of the chilly water.

Friends.  
It still sounded awkward to Mitch… unused. Unfamiliar.  
Nonetheless it brought a smile on his face, as he slid down the wall of the balcony to sit on the ground to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere. The voices quickly disappeared inside of the house again, as fine drops began to adorn the ground and Mitch's left arm, which was exposed to the weather conditions due to his position. Even though the chilly breeze made him shiver, he stayed on the balcony and slowly closed his eyes. His legs were pulled up to his chest and his arms crossed over his stomach, while he slowly rested his head on the wall at his back.

The raindrops on his face were welcome and washed away all of the worries and doubts his mind was occupied with.  
It was the first peaceful moment Mitch had in a long time.

The sound of hesitant footsteps grew louder and stopped, as the person reached the still open door to the balcony. Mitch didn't bother to open his eyes, too absorbed in the moment and his feelings, which were rather calm for once.  
Instead of saying something, the person slowly moved towards him and then sat down at his side, too close for one of his former friends he just had met again yesterday. A distinctive and pleasant scent caught his attention and the smile returned to his face, before Mitch uttered with a low voice,

"What can I do for you, Jerome?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"Typical scent of a wet bacca. It's like the one of wet dogs, only worse."

The barely suppressed laughter and Jerome's shaking body made Mitch grin from ear to ear and finally he opened his eyes again to look to his right. Humor still visible on his face, Jerome returned the look without any suspicion. The presence of his best friend calmed him down further and Mitch looked at the nightly view of their neighborhood again, familiar but foreign at the same time.

"So…," Jerome started carefully and put an arm around his best friend's shoulders, who glanced back at him with a hint of curiosity.  
"Why did you ignore me since my arrival at Redmond yesterday?"

Jerome's voice didn't hold any grudge nor blame against him, nonetheless Mitch flinched and tensed visibly. The arm around his shoulders didn't disappear, instead Jerome pulled him further towards his chest. He lowered his voice, but Mitch still understood every single word over the now pouring rain, barely hitting him under the protection of the roof.

"I talked to Adam."  
For a second Mitch stopped breathing.

"You're behaving extremely suspicious since you got that phone call from Murphy."  
He trembled in every limb, as he tried to take slow breaths.

"During our call you told us that he had threatened you with something."  
His arms, still lying on his stomach, hid his clenched fists from Jerome's view.

"And then there is this sudden change of your opinion. Not in a million years can you fool me, Mitch. No matter what Murphy would've told you, you wouldn't have moved back into this house. Not after what had happened. But still you did."  
'_Don't say anything,'_ a voice in his head replied. _'You can't endanger your family or him. Not __**him**__!'_

"What is he doing to you?"

Maybe it was his choice of words.  
Maybe it was the unusual peace in his voice.  
Maybe it was the closeness to someone, who had never let him down, no matter what.

The trembling became more intense. Without missing a beat, Jerome pulled him closer and changed his position to put his other arm around the desperate Canadian as well. Even before Mitch buried his face in the crook of Jerome's neck, the tears began to stream down his pale face, accompanied by the heartbreaking sobs, destroying the silence of the night.

And then Mitch told Jerome everything.


	14. Chapter 13: Red

**AN:  
**Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my reviewers **mulzypops, Misery57, Chocolatepie277, DeadFicDude!**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Imagine Dragons – Nothing Left To Say  
youtube: **watch?v=Q6zqH6qKaTU

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 13:  
**_Red_

* * *

After his talk to Adam, Jerome had anticipated many things.

Murphy blackmailing Mitch with an old video, some old sins they had already forgotten.  
Murphy blackmailing Mitch to do certain things, having an eye on the rest of the team or something similar…

But listening to the tearful voice of Mitch Jerome realized how bad the situation really was. Cold shaking hands were clutching his shirt tightly and the pale face of the Canadian was buried in the crook of his neck. Needless to say that the unusual sight was breaking his heart.  
For as long as Jerome could remember, his best friend had not once given in to the constant pressure. With a raised head he had opposed his rivals, fought against the hate with a shattering smile on his face and dreamt of a bright and happy future.

Mitch's voice finally ceased in his explanation and Jerome looked slowly down onto the broken mess that was left of a once strong and seemingly unbreakable character. His grip around Mitch's upper body tightened and he compressed his lips to contain himself from screaming out loud.

Murphy was going to pay.

However, first things first - he had to calm down Mitch.  
"Buddy?" he whispered, but the sobs continued together with the tears, wetting the black shirt on his shoulder. With a sigh Jerome put a hand on the back of Mitch's head and leaned his own on top of his.

"Please stop crying."  
Mitch's shoulders tensed under his touch, but instead of replying he tried to gulp back the sobs unsuccessfully.

"It'll all be okay, I promise."  
Before he had the chance to argue, Jerome continued. His expression hardened and his voice turned cold, as he stared out into the night without really seeing the dark facades of the neighboring buildings.  
"He will never have the chance to say a single word to you again. Trust me, when I'm done with him, you won't have to worry about him anymore."

Mitch's whole frame stiffened, before he asked with a stuffed-up nose, "What do you mean?" His voice was rasp and his hands still clung to Jerome as if he was about to drown in his churning, conflicted emotions and self-doubts. For the fraction of a second Jerome had the lingering thought in his mind that all those doubts couldn't possibly come from Murphy alone, but he let it go as Mitch raised his voice again with a hint of suspicion.

"Jerome, please don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not, don't worry," he answered with a certain voice and considered for a moment, before he grabbed one of Mitch's cold hands in his own to press it reassuringly. "He will go down. Tomorrow morning he will be able to sip his coffee at a police station!"  
Somehow his words were the wrong ones and with a loud "What?!" Mitch pulled back from the warm embrace, which had helped him to relax after his breakdown. Jerome got up from the ground without seeing the desperate look on the Canadian's face and replied, while walking back into the room, "Thankfully we haven't unpacked yet. At first-"

"Jerome, don't-"

"-we have to tell the others what's going on, then we'll go to the police."

"Hey, wait-"

"I would like to get to your parents afterwards, but I'm not so sure about that."

"_Jerome-"_

"Better a place where he can't find us, until everything is-"

"**STOP!"**

His body froze as he carefully looked up from Mitch's suitcase on the bed. He had already been in the middle of checking his belongings, completely ignoring the interruptions, because it was right what he was doing, there was no other way to keep Mitch save…  
The red and bloodshot eyes were full of panic, as Mitch stood in the doorway to the balcony with a trembling stance, but his voice was low and firm.

"We are not doing anything like that, Jerome."

He waited for his best friend to continue and put the item in his hands back into the suitcase, before he walked around the bed to stand in front of Mitch with a questioning and worried expression on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Mitch took a deep breath and avoided Jerome's look, as he continued with the same tone in his voice.  
"I'm not going to risk my family, Jerome. We are _not_ going to tell anyone a word!" – "But he won't be able to do anything to them, Mitch, when we blow his cover and-"

"Don't you understand, Jerome?!"  
Mitch's hoarse voice cut him short and his best friend was nearly screaming, as the panic finally took over. "He is not the only one! You signed the contracts _yesterday_ and today there are flight tickets for all of us and a newly renovated house and garden?! He had to know about Microsoft buying Minecraft, so there had to be others involved, probably his bosses!"

For a second Jerome was speechless and mustered the upset boy in front of him with wide open eyes. He was exaggerating, wasn't he? Mitch couldn't be right, because if his suspicions were true…

"But how could they know that we would actually agree to all…"

He stopped himself and his eyes widened even further if possible, as he came to the same conclusion Mitch was telling him in the same moment, "Because of me." The resignation in Mitch's voice was like a stab through his heart and with a shaking voice Jerome continued, "That's the reason for Murphy blackmailing you. They knew you wouldn't go against your family and that somehow you would be able to convince us if necessary. Even though I can't see how this should have worked with Adam, because… you know."

Mitch lay down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Jerome followed immediately, sat down by his side and put a comforting hand onto his shoulder. It was a weak attempt at reassuring his best friend and at the moment he would do everything to hear his infectious laugh again, but the situation was too serious, too dire for a hopeless attempt to bring back his cheerful side.

"That's the reason why he was there together with me, before you guys arrived. Murphy wanted to convince him without the influence of the rest of the team, I guess. Dunno why I was invited to it though."  
An untypical frown adorned his face and with a sigh Jerome lay down on his side and continued to watch him. A groan, then Mitch closed his eyes and put an arm over them to shut himself off the light. Jerome didn't even have to ask, a short poke to his arm was enough for Mitch to tell him what was up.

"Headache. What am I going to do now, without telling anyone else about this?"

"Wrong."  
Mitch lifted his arm and stared at Jerome with a raised eyebrow.

"What are _we_ going to do now? Don't you dare to even think that I could leave you alone in this mess! And first of all we really should inform the others, Mitch."  
The Canadian shook his head and covered his eyes again, still certain about his earlier decision. "Under no circumstances! If they all know, Murphy will definitely find out, if he hasn't already." His voice was still rasp but a lot calmer than before, nonetheless his words and the unspoken ones made Mitch tense up again in the blink of an eye.

Jerome tightened his grip on the Canadian's shoulder.  
"We'll find out who else is in on this and until we have an idea about how many of them are involved in this, I'll keep him away from you." The confident tone in his voice was far more reassuring than Jerome was at the moment, but what could a small group of people do against a corporation, which was so much more powerful than they could ever hope to be?

Jerome was afraid, concerned about Mitch and furious with the man, who had presented himself as a helpful and trustworthy person just the day before.  
Nonetheless he couldn't show his raw, unbound emotions in front of his best friend. He needed him more than ever and like hell he would let Mitch get threatened any longer, no matter what!

"Promise."  
Mitch's voice was so low that Jerome nearly had not heard him. Mitch slowly lifted his arm again and freed his eyes to stare at him with unconcealed, blank fear. "Promise me, Jerome." Never could he have denied it.  
Letting go of Mitch's shoulder Jerome grabbed his free hand instead, giving it a tight squeeze. Not once did he let go of the hope in his eyes, which brought a thin smile onto his friend's face.

"I promise."  
_To never let you alone with him again.  
To get you out of this mess.  
To not tell anyone._

Words were not needed and with a for once peaceful expression on his face Mitch slowly closed his eyes.  
Jerome still held his hand tightly in his own and watched over him, long after he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Did you like it? Didn't you? Let me know in the comments! :)


	15. Chapter 14: No Fear

**AN:  
**A big thank you to the reviewers of the last chapter:** mulzypops &amp; weather741!**

* * *

**Music tip:  
Jon McLaughlin – We All Need Saving  
youtube: **watch?v=o0TyhU80kv0

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 14:  
**_No Fear_

* * *

"Hey… Mitch?"

He blinked, squeezed his eyes shut against the bright light that filled his room and then groaned. "What?" he asked with a hoarse voice and buried his face into the pillow, about to drift off into sleep again. Someone poked his shoulder and chuckled lightly. Curious about who exactly was interrupting his rest Mitch slowly looked up to check out his surroundings. Jerome sat fully dressed on the edge of his bed and looked down on him with a raised eyebrow.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?"

With a loud yawn Mitch stretched his limbs and checked the time on his phone on the nightstand. "Nearly 11?! Why didn't you wake me up?" he complained with a sleepy voice and rolled over onto his back to look at Jerome again. Something felt off… Mitch glanced down at his own body and saw that he was fully dressed under the blanket. "What the-"

"I figured that you needed some rest after the events yesterday. Do you feel any better?"

Events?  
It slowly dawned on him.

"Oh god, no," he murmured and buried his face in his hands."I'm so dead."  
Jerome didn't seem to be able to follow his train of thoughts and asked confused, "What are you talking about, Mitch? I told you I will-"

"It's Murphy. I'm sure he'll know by now what I did."  
A sudden thought made Mitch's heart stop and with fearful eyes he jumped out of his bed and nearly into the dresser opposite of it. "Mitch? What are you talking about? Hey, stop for a minute. Mitch!"

"Just give me a second, I need to call them to make sure they're-"

He was about to grab his phone from the nightstand with shaking hands, because the thought of Murphy carrying out his threat was unbearable. Before Mitch had the chance though, a figure that was faster than him appeared in front of Mitch and grabbed both of his hands. "Don't."  
Jerome's voice was low and had the usual calming effect on him. Slowly his best friend let go of him again and continued, "You haven't called them once since this mess started. Do you really want to talk to them now, all nervous and worried for them and your father's job? They'll notice something is up and you know as well as I do that they're not gonna let you get away without spilling the beans."

He was right. Of course he was.  
Letting his shoulders drop Mitch sank down onto the bed and nodded silently. Jerome patted him on the back and opened the door to the balcony to let some fresh air into the room. It felt good and Mitch took a deep breath to clear his head. "You're right, I have to get my head straight."

"Especially when we have to work together with Murphy. If you really don't want the others to know, you can't show how anxious you are in his company – even though I can understand it-"  
Jerome didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, as someone knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer. With an apologizing look on his face Quentin pointed in the direction of the stairs.

"Good morning, sorry to disturb you so early, but Murphy is here and wants to speak to us down in the living room immediately."  
Thankfully Mitch managed to keep himself together until Quentin had closed the door again, before he bolted for the balcony. "I have to get out of here right now, he knows Jerome, he fucking _knows_! I'm done, he'll-"

Again Jerome tried to stop him and was successful for the second time. His strong grip around Mitch's wrist stopped the Canadian from climbing off the balcony in a thoughtless moment and pulling him back inside Jerome closed the door. "Breath and think. What did Quentin say?"

"…Murphy wants to talk to us-"

"Exactly. Us. Would he really tell everyone of the team what he has done? Probably not. He would have tried to get you alone and since that's not the case, something else has to be going on. So calm down, Mitch and think for God's sake."  
For some seconds it was completely silent, until Mitch started to laugh. Jerome slowly stepped away from him with a skeptical look on his face. "Oh god, that's it, you've lost your mind. Great."

"I haven't, it's just-" Mitch tried to answer, but had to catch his breath first. "Usually it's the other way round, you know? Me being rational and talking some sense into you, I mean." The smile was still plastered on his face, as he looked back up to Jerome, who was shaking his head hopelessly but with a similar grin on his lips. "You're just being stupid. Come on, we shouldn't keep the maniac waiting any longer."

Mitch cleared his throat, followed Jerome out of his room and downstairs to the main floor. If his best friend was right and Murphy didn't know about his betrayal, then telling Jerome had been the best thing Mitch could have done so far. All of the worries and doubts were still there, weighting his spirits down and - as Jerome already had noticed – changing his usual self. But some of the weight on his shoulders had disappeared, now that he had poured his heart out to the American. It was easier to breath and the smiles didn't feel quite as forced anymore. Maybe Jerome was right and there was still hope that everything would turn out alright in the end.

Nonetheless the sight of a smirking Murphy in the living room made Mitch freeze on the spot. Jerome, who was oblivious to the sudden change, went forward and instead of greeting his new boss properly as he had done the day before, he simply nodded in his direction and then sat down on the couch next to Jason and Ty. Mitch still stood in the doorway and couldn't move a limb, while Murphy stopped talking to Ian and turned around, as if he had known that Mitch was there all along.  
The coldhearted smirk on his face, which the others easily mistook as a welcoming smile, grew at the sight of a speechless and paralyzed Mitch. Of course he took the opportunity of Ian unknowingly occupying the others and approached Mitch with a few steps.

"Mr. Hughes."  
His voice was inscrutable and he placed himself in the line of sight between Mitch and Jerome, who was unaware of how much he was needed at the moment. '_He promised, everything will be alright, just don't let him know what you've done, under no circumstances…'_. His thoughts were like a mantra and slowly he nodded his head in a desperate attempt to greet Murphy. The smirk only grew.

"I hope you enjoyed your first night at the house," Murphy began with a two sided comment that made his stomach turn. He knew, didn't he? Or was he just messing with him, trying to make him break under the constant pressure that he was adding onto Mitch's back to eliminate every form of resistance?  
Either way he felt incredibly helpless and something else began to stir in the middle of his emotional whirlwind – anger. But he couldn't say anything, not as before when Mitch had to face the very realistic threat Murphy had been confronting him with in his office.

"I really hope that you have finally realized what is at stake for you and your family, Mr. Hughes. It would be a shame, if something-"

"Mitch!"  
All talking ceased and every eye in the room focused on Jerome, who had suddenly jumped up from his seat on the couch. He must have finally noticed that Mitch was cornered by Murphy without a way to escape from his dangerous clutches, but instead of an awkward silence he immediately slipped into an act Mitch hadn't seen coming at all. In a second Jerome was at his side, putting an arm between him and Murphy and pulling the Canadian away with a strong and safe clutch.

"Sorry Mr. Murphy, but Mitch you _have_ to try what Quentin did for breakfast for us, it's so delicious! I swear you never want to eat anything else in your whole life once you've tasted it!"  
For a tension-filled moment no one said a word as Jerome pushed the silent Canadian down onto the couch where he had sat before and gave him something from a plate. Then someone thankfully began to laugh, others did as well and the tension was gone in the blink of an eye.

Ian continued his conversation with Adam and Quentin, the rest listened to them again and Mitch leaned back against the backrest of the couch with a barely audible sigh. Carefully he glanced up at Jerome, who sat on the armrest, but neither of them dared to say a word about the incident. Not here, where someone could easily listen in on them. Especially Murphy, who approached the happy group and sat down on a free chair across from Mitch and Jerome.

"So gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"  
Murphy hadn't raised his voice, but the special tone of it made the rest become silent in an instant. With a grateful smile he put a thick folder onto the coffee table and picked out a paper with some dates and notes on it.

"As you already know, there'll be some events and small jobs you have to attend. We gave you yesterday and this day off, so that you can settle down in your new home properly and start recording videos again. You should have each gotten a list about what is off limits for you while recording videos and what we would like to see in the future on your channels, but we'll have time to talk about the details tomorrow after the photo shooting."

"Wait, a photo shooting..? For what exactly?" Quentin asked and threw a skeptical look into the round. Half of the team looked as confused as he did, but Murphy just laughed out loud. Mitch couldn't refrain himself from flinching and leaned back into the couch again. The more distance between him and Murphy, the safer he felt.

"It's for the official campaign of course. Advertising on websites, in magazines about games, then commercials and so on. Youtuber are the next generation of role models and heroes for the younger ones and Microsoft is one of the first companies to realize the importance of it. Minecraft is just the beginning, we want to expand the range of games and you, gentlemen, will be our number one group of gamers all the way."

Mitch had to admit that Murphy's excitement and passion for the cause were extremely infectious and convincing, but Mitch had seen the other side. His endless greed for power, the desire for more fame, more glory and influence within the company.

The enthusiastic gleam in the eyes of the others made him feel sick and crossing his arms in front of his chest, Mitch looked up.  
Thankfully Jerome seemed to be as positive about those prospects as Mitch was.  
With an encouraging smile he tried to cheer the Canadian up and grateful for the attempt, Mitch tried to relax his clenched muscles as Jerome put a hand on his shoulder.

At least he wasn't alone in this.


	16. Chapter 15: No Resistance

Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my reviewers **KyaraDoesFanfics, Guest, IQuitFanFictionOKAY, mulzypops &amp; FlygonWriter64!** Thank you for all the support on the story! =)

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**Music tip:  
Direct &amp; Labisch – Make A Move (ft. Openwater)  
youtube: **watch?v=UKr_WpDEbl0

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 15:  
**_No Resistance_

* * *

"This is too early for me, how do they expect to get good photos? I'm gonna fall asleep in front of the camera," Quentin complained with a yawn and followed the rest of the team into the large building. The sun had barely risen and everyone seemed to be only half awake, as they were lead through the corridors into a big room.

"Well, at least we had a driver bringing us here!" Jason answered with raised eyebrows and a pleased smile on his lips, while he looked around. Despite the early time a lot of people were already working on setting up the set for the shooting. In the back of the room was a long table with a buffet and various drinks. Beside it stood a grinning Murphy and waved them over.

Naturally Mitch was trailing behind them with Jerome, who was still hesitant to leave him alone.

At the moment he couldn't be more grateful for it.

"Good morning, Team Crafted. I hope you had a pleasant stay in your new home up until now. Is there anything you would like to change?" he asked with a voice that made Mitch want to vomit. With a soft voice Jerome whispered, "His kindness couldn't be more fake. Glad you saved me from the brainwashing."

Mitch tried to stifle a laugh and grinned at his friend, as Murphy began to speak again.

"Great. Now let's get started with the course of the day. At first we will talk with the PR Director of Microsoft, Mrs. Kane, about the public appearance of Team Crafted. Everyone of you will get a special role you should represent in the team and then we will take photos of you, after you have changed your clothes appropriately. Here is something to eat and drink during the day and when we are done, the chauffeur will take you back home."

"Special roles?" Ian asked hesitantly and the rest of the guys didn't look too convinced either. Mitch tried to hide a satisfied smirk and instead raised an eyebrow, as they waited for Murphy's response. "Well, of course! I'm sure my assistant told you about it, when you were discussing the contracts the other day. To be able to make an effective and good publicity, we have to represent a group of very different individuals, which complement each other perfectly in the end."

"That way we can reach every single one out there, the confident one, the shy one, the happy one, and so on," a new voice added to the conversation and an older woman with brown hair appeared at Murphy's side. She wore a dark business suit and held her head high, as she watched the group with an unnerving glance in her cold eyes.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Tonja Kane, PR Director of Microsoft. I am responsible for media relations, social media strategy, crisis management and other stuff you are probably not interested in." Her smile was unsettling for Mitch; he couldn't read her at all. His boss was easy to see through – or was it just because he knew the real Murphy behind all those layers?

It didn't matter, she probably was in on the whole thing anyway.

Carefully Mitch crossed his arms in front of his chest and kept quiet. He wasn't able to voice his doubts to his friends, who were obviously skeptical, but curious about her words as well. Jerome kept glancing at Mitch and then was about to open his mouth, but Mitch poked him in the ribs to stop him from saying anything stupid.

"He will know that something is up, if you're acting hostile towards every single suggestion," he warned his best friend with a quiet voice and risked a look to Murphy, who was currently answering a question of Ty.

"But I just can't let him-" Jerome began with a conflicted voice, but Mitch interrupted him.

"You have to. Remember, you have signed this contract. Every single one of them did, me as well. We have no other choice tha-"

"Can we help you with something?" a high and cold voice asked with a tone that made Mitch feel on edge immediately. Mrs. Kane stood in front of them with a friendly smile on her lips, which didn't reach her eyes. Murphy led the rest of the team towards a little concluded area with multiple couches.

Jerome and Mitch stayed silent, while she continued to look daggers at them. Then she turned around and joined Murphy, who impatiently waved them over.

Just then did Mitch realize that he was clutching Jerome's arm tightly.

"Sorry," he mumbled ashamed and let go of him, while they began to walk toward the waiting group.

"Don't be, it's alright."

"Let's start with you…" Murphy began slowly and looked to every single member of the group, as he set his eyes on Mitch.

"…_Mitchell_. Yes. If you please…" he said towards Kane and without missing a beat she threw a folder onto the low table in front of them. Mitch felt himself grow stiff, not knowing what to anticipate, but Jerome's hand on his back stopped him from freaking out completely.

Jerome's hand and the look Murphy was giving him.

Immediately he nodded and said with a barely audible voice, "Sure… why not?"

The following minutes disappeared into a blur, consisting of Kane's words and the various pictures she showed him, but only one thing really lingered in his mind – _character traits_.

For every single member of the team they had drawn up a whole plan of how they should be represented in the future. Clothing, behavior towards fans and on events, their recordings… literally everything.

Mitch felt his face grow pale and furrowed his brows in anger.

He was sure that this condition had to be in the contracts _somewhere_, in a way that had made them fail to notice it, but it didn't mean that he couldn't be angry about it.

And thankfully some of the team had the same point of view.

"Hold on, wait – you want us to change _completely_, even though it has been what the viewers wanted to see all along?!" Ian asked skeptically and shook his head, before he continued, "I'm sorry, but I can't see this working out."

Ty agreed immediately, slowly the others nodded as well and Mitch couldn't hold back the satisfied grin toward Murphy, who mustered him for a moment and then grinned on his own. He seemed to have something in mind and Mitch was sure that he wouldn't like it a bit.

Kane chuckled and flashed the group a bright smile, as she put the folder in her hand back down and leaned forward a bit.

"Your cute little group was able to collect some fans, yes, enough to get some attention." The smile on her face disappeared. "That's not what we're looking for. Microsoft wants a group of people who represent not only all of our gaming supplies, but the people we want to reach as well. The young generation, the older one, young adults as well. We have a mass of different people who are interested in our products and we want to reach all of them with you guys."

"You are the connection between them and Microsoft, the most important link for us to associate with the young generations," she finally added and then fell silent, as the group of Youtubers took her words in.

Mitch knew that he had lost.

Her last sentence had been the best, her final weapon to pull them on her side. She had labeled them as heroes, as the most important thing for Microsoft and even though she for sure had been lying, it had achieved the preferred effect.

Their eyes were gleaming with excitement and desire, carefully they exchanged glances and then Jason said with an uplifting tone in his voice, "So we're like one of those boy bands, right? We have the cool one, the happy one, the chick magnet-"

"Well, you don't have to think long about the last one, it's obviously me," Quentin added laughing and others began to talk excitedly about the coming change. They embraced it and questioned Kane about her plans for them and with a bright smile she answered all of them patiently.

"Mr. Hughes, you are the first for the shooting," Murphy said and stood up to go into another room. He didn't look back once, he was sure that Mitch wouldn't put up a fight. Of course he wouldn't. With a sigh he stood up, felt Jerome's hand on his wrist and saw a worried look in his eyes.

"It'll be alright. There's nothing we can do," he said softly and then pulled away. Jerome stayed quiet. He knew Mitch was right.

Ten minutes later Mitch stood in front of the large mirror and mustered the reflection of himself. They had dressed him in a white T-shirt and dark jeans. At his collar hung a pair of green sunglasses and they had done his hair. He remembered a similar look he had worn in LA, when he had visited the city together with his friends from Canada once.

Nonetheless he felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Murphy appeared behind him, staring at the reflection as well, while the two make-up artists silently left the room.

Something was going on. Mitch felt sick.

"You know what you have to do…"

Murphy stepped closer.

"…don't you, Mitch?"

Suddenly Murphy grabbed his hair and violently pulled his head back.

With a gasp he raised his hands to free himself from the sudden attack, a scream already on his lips, as Murphy's other hand on his lips silenced him effectively. Mitch was overwhelmed by the panic in his veins and could feel the frantic pounding of his heart, as he stopped struggling.

Murphy leaned forward, until his lips were mere centimeters away from Mitch's ear.

"You are going to listen to me very closely now, Mr. Hughes."

The pulling got stronger and Mitch desperately closed his eyes to hold back the tears from forming, due to the pain. Murphy's voice was dangerously low and scared Mitch to death, as his rapid breathing seemed to pull his lung apart.

"I'm sick of your resistance, Mitchell. For my liking you're showing your thoughts about this little deal a bit too openly. Others could get suspicious…"

Another pull on his hair. He winced.

"…and yet others give the impression to already know _things_."

This time he groaned with pain and tried to pull away, but Murphy was too strong and the panic too much for him. He tried to beg Murphy to let him go, but the hand on his mouth made his words come out in an incomprehensible mutter.

"I warned you over and over again, Mitchell, but sadly you don't listen. I guess I have to change the tune. Why don't you call your lovely sister? It's been a while since you've talked to Marley. Things could have changed…"

Murphy didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, as Mitch began to struggle again violently, due to the anger welling up inside of him.

But with a single sentence Murphy managed to make him stop once more.

"Why don't you begin to feign a happy and carefree Mitch to the rest of the world again, as you have done after your destruction of Team Crafted?"

With wide open eyes Mitch stared at the white ceiling. How in the world could he know?! Nobody did except for his parents, who had been quite suspicious of his sometimes rather dark behavior during the last months. Murphy had no possible way of _knowing_ \- but somehow he did!

"Face it, you're brilliant at deceiving others, for months you have been the happy guy for the whole world, but on the inside…" Murphy's voice softened and even though Mitch tried to resist it, the tone of his voice affected him. "On the inside you were falling apart, slowly but surely, weren't you? All the guilt, Mitchell, of being responsible for the break up, the tears, the disappointment of the fans…"

Tears were welling up in his eyes and this time Mitch wasn't able to hold them back, as he blinked at the ceiling and felt them roll over his cheeks. A sigh, then Murphy continued in a fake comforting voice.

"If you continue like this you will tear the group apart once more, Mitch. But that's not what you want, right?" Slowly he shook his head. "No. Your wish finally came true, you are reunited with them once more and maybe you can make it work this time. All the happy memories, Mitchell, all the fun you guys had together… You know you can have it again. Just don't mess this up."

With a look that tore him apart from the inside Murphy let go of Mitch.

He didn't move an inch.

Instead he answered with a hoarse voice that was barely audible, "I won't."

"Good."

Murphy clapped him on the back with a big smile on his face. Again he leaned forward and Mitch couldn't refrain from flinching.

"Then go out there. Show us the Mitch I need – the Mitch your team needs."

Some minutes later he excited the small room again.

The make-up artists had returned to erase the traces of his tears on his face and to do his hair again. Not once had they tried to talk to him. Not a single question about what had happened. Jerome was the first to look up as he turned around the corner. They still sat at the table together with Kane and probably talked about the shooting. Someone asked him a question, he thought he heard Jerome's voice as well, but he couldn't bring himself to look into their eyes.

Wordlessly he passed them, politely greeted the photographer with a simple smile on his face and then listened to his instructions.

**It is easy. Just smile. Don't think about anything. Just go on. Give yourself up. Do what they want. What they need. Always smile. Make sure to look healthy, to look good. There has to be the sparkling in your eyes. Doesn't matter if it's from the tears you're holding back – no one will notice the difference. Nobody ever does.**

It worked automatically, as if Mitch had never tried to break out of the hole he had dug himself all those months ago. The shooting began and immediately he was in the role they had chosen for him, flashing stunning smiles in the direction of the photographer and flirting with the camera, while posing in a relaxed and cool way.

"_If you continue like this you will tear the group apart once more, Mitch. But that's not what you want, right? You know you can have it again. Just don't mess this up."_

And not once did Murphy's words leave his mind.


	17. Chapter 16: Truth

Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my reviewer **RavenstarAMA, echomist66, weather741 &amp; mulzypops**!

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**Music tip:  
Linkin Park - Iridescent  
youtube: **watch?v=xLYiIBCN9ec

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 16:  
**_Truth_

* * *

People often thought Adam to be the oblivious guy.  
He rarely pointed out negative traits of others, if it wasn't for a humorous purpose entirely.  
They thought him to live his life as best as he could without focusing on the problems.

Quietly he stood in the hall of the Team Crafted house and observed the rest of the guys laughing in the living room. After a while his eyes focused on one certain person with short hair and brown sparkling eyes. They were playing a race on the playstation and something funny must have happened, because they burst out laughing again and were barely able to contain themselves.

No matter how long Adam thought about it, he was unable to make head nor tail of Mitch's behavior.

It had been confusing enough for Adam to see the normally quite happy guy so conflicted, as he had stayed at Adam's house in Seattle. At first Mitch had tried his best to form some kind of connection between the two of them, then Adam's hateful reaction had destroyed every single attempt of a friendship and when Adam had tried to make up for his not very helpful behavior, Mitch had pushed him away as far as possible.

He had been even stranger around Murphy and slowly Adam had begun to suspect their new boss of being responsible for Mitch's unusual… change.  
Then they had moved to LA not even a day later and he finally had the chance to talk to Jerome. Too bad that he had not a single clue about what was going on either. Together they had decided for Jerome to talk to the Canadian, because after all he was his best friend. Maybe Mitch would open up to him.

And then Adam had heard nothing.  
Every time he tried to get Jerome alone, he was able to find another activity that was more important at the moment. Furthermore Jerome didn't leave Mitch's side, especially when Murphy had been around to inform them of the further plans for the team.  
Something bad was going on, Adam was sure of it, and he was about to find out, no matter how many excuses Jerome tried to make again.

Not even a minute later Jerome returned from his room to get back to the others and before he had the chance to react, Adam pulled him away into the kitchen. After he had closed the door, he turned around and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Talk."  
Jerome stood opposite of him at the counter and took a deep breath. He said nothing.

"What is this about? You can't tell me that his mood changes are _normal_-"

"They are not," Jerome interrupted him slowly and leaned back, before he looked away from Adam and continued. "Nonetheless I can't talk to you about it."

"Oh yes you can and you will, remember that we have both talked about this before and you were as worried as I am! Now you obviously know the reason and refuse to say it!" Adam talked himself into a rage and raised his voice, but Jerome stayed eerily calm.

"Because I promised Mitch to talk to no one about it. Furthermore if the wrong person gets to know about our involvement in the situation, Mitch will be in very deep trouble and I'm not willing to take that risk!"  
Something strange gleamed in his eyes and for a moment Adam felt the urge to fall back a few steps. Then another thought raised his attention.

"Wait. That sounds really bad… so Murphy is really involved in whatever this is?"

With a sigh Jerome ran his fingers through his hair and hesitated for a moment, before he nodded, confirming his suspicions. With raised eyebrows Adam asked immediately, "What has he done?!"

"Don't, Adam!"

"No Jerome, tell me what the fuck is going on, because I'm confused as hell right now-"

"NO!"

Adam fell silent and stared at Jerome with wide open eyes.  
"You listen to me very closely now, Adam. I'm not going to tell you what this is about, because me knowing about it is already endangering Mitch. Yes, Murphy is involved, but this is so much bigger than you can imagine at the moment. Hold yourself back, at least for the moment. I try to sort this out with Mitch together, but if things get too hot, I'll convince him to finally open up about what is going on. But until then… Please don't."

Unable to say something Adam stayed quiet and nodded.  
He had wanted to erase his worries and doubts about the Canadian, but now they were even stronger. Jerome wouldn't say something like that thoughtlessly.

"And there is something else… Do you mind telling me why in the world you're so worried about Mitch? I mean, I have been there when you two… you know, and from what I've heard it hasn't been too good between Mitch and you during his stay at your house. So why are you so worried for him, Adam?"

Silently he sat down on one of the bar chairs.  
A question he had tried to answer himself during the last three days.

"I…"  
What was it exactly? The old feelings maybe? They had been friends once, very close ones as well. The whole group had been there for each other and somehow, now that they were all reunited again, the feelings seemed to return automatically.  
"I think it's still there. The whole friendship thing between us, you know? I have been angry at Mitch for so long and when he had been at my house, I had tried to make it as bad as possible for him, but something held me back. Maybe it's harder than expected to throw all of that away."

A hand appeared on his shoulder and Jerome sat down by his side.  
With an understanding smile on his lips he concluded,  
"That's a good start I guess. For Team Crafted."


	18. Chapter 17: No Honesty

**AN:** Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my lovely reviewers **mulzypops &amp; FlygonWriter64!**

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**Music tip:  
Kimberly Anne - Liar  
youtube: **watch?v=caBLClhl2s0

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 17:  
**_No Honesty_

* * *

"…and so we welcome you to the official launching event of Microsoft's top gaming group – Team Crafted!"

The guests applauded happily, then the lights in the large hall were dimmed and a screen behind the podium of the moderator flared up. A clip was shown with infectious music in the background. At first a person was talking about a new relationship and a thicker bond between producer and end-consumer, various scenes of gaming events and young people were shown, then the voice addressed a revolution that would change all of the advertising industry. A large logo appeared in the middle of the screen.

_\- Team Crafted -_

The members of the group were shown – clips filmed by a crew about a week ago shortly after their photo shooting. Each and every one appeared in the clothes that were chosen for them, talking about a bigger chance to connect with their fans and reaching more people than ever before. Their smiling and winking faces slowly faded to the background, as their names were shown.  
The video ended with the whole group and the new logo.

Amid the applause of the crowd Mitch could make out several voices talking approvingly about the new advertising that would be shown in the TV nationally as from tomorrow. The lights were slowly turned back on and before anyone could recognize him, Mitch found his way back through the crowd to a small corner at the front of the room, where the rest of the group was still chatting about the magnificent video they had just watched.

"Isn't this great – everyone will see it on their TVs!"  
"I know, my mother will absolutely flip out!"

Murphy wasn't in sight, but instead of giving in to the relief that was about to flare up, Mitch buried it deep inside of him and embraced his old self, the one he had been used to for so long. It was as easy as breathing itself, just a wall he had to raise, to keep himself safe. From Murphy. From Microsoft. From being hurt.

The smile on his face was convincing enough and cheerfully he threw his arms around Jason and Ty. "We, gentlemen, are going to be famous." The laugh of the group was infectious, Mitch joined in and it nearly was enough.  
His laugh. The gleam in his eyes. A relaxed stance.

But of course he couldn't fool Jerome.  
Not in a million years. Not after he had been present in the months before.

Mitch felt his glare upon himself and dared to look up just for a mere moment. He couldn't ignore him, no matter how hard he tried. With Jerome it was different. Always. Without him he wouldn't be able to survive this mess at all. He needed someone he trusted unconditionally, a person who in return trusted him just as much.  
Nonetheless Mitch had to put on a mask, because there was no other way. He had to do what Murphy wanted, no matter what Mitch thought about it. The situation was hopeless and not even Jerome was able to help him. Not this time.

"Mitch, I really need to talk to you for a second," Jerome began with a firm voice and slowly pulled him away from his two companions, who were oblivious to Jerome's serious stance. Before his best friend got a chance to interrogate him though, another figure appeared at their side and blocked off their path.

"Team Crafted."  
The man in front of them seemed to be about 50 years old and wore an expensive looking suit. His bright blue eyes were hidden behind glasses and he just had some grey hair at the sides of his head left. Two other males stood near him, checking out their surroundings and talking quietly to each other. Bodyguards?

"What a pleasure to finally meet you."  
His voice was raspy and he had a sense of authority that silenced the rest of the guys immediately. A barely visible smiled pulled at the corners of his lips and he had his hands behind his back, as he began to introduce himself.

"My name is Satya Nadella-"

Mitch gasped and from the sound of it some of the guys had recognized the name as well. Mr. Nadella didn't need to finish his sentence, because he was quite famous even outside of the Microsoft company.

"- CEO of Microsoft."

For a moment he was dumbstruck and didn't know what to say. Of course Mitch had anticipated to meet some of Murphy's bosses for sure at the launching event, but to have the chance to talk to the chief executive officer personally? Mitch was torn between awe, respect and a rather distrustful feeling in his stomach – was he in on the whole scheme? Just by the look of it he couldn't tell and before the silence could continue any longer, Mitch put a bright smile on his face and stepped forward to extend his hand towards Mr. Nadella.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Nadella. I'm Mitchell Hughes."  
Various greetings were exchanged with the present persons and soon they were joined by other employees of high rank. At one point Mitch found himself with a colleague of Mr. Nadella on sitting accommodations and while they discussed, the rest of the group was engrossed in conversations as well.

Mitch finally began to relax and actually enjoyed the evening and the possibility to meet people, who were not as possessed as Murphy, when Mr. Nadella appeared at their side and gallantly interrupted their conversation. Not that they would have complained – it was the CEO after all.  
"Tom, would you mind to enlighten Mr. Dahlberg with your knowledge for a moment? I'm sure you will be able to answer his questions better than me." With a laugh Tom said goodbye to him for now and disappeared in the group of people.

And suddenly Mitch was all alone with Mr. Nadella – except for his bodyguards, who seemed to be ever-present. Slowly he sat down on the couch opposite of Mitch and waved the waiter over to get a glass of champagne for both of them.  
"Mr. Hughes," he began and raised his glass, "let's talk about your position in the group."

He tensed and while Mr. Nadella took a sip of the champagne, Mitch felt himself pale a bit. They were going to throw him out. What had he done wrong? Since Murphy's talk to him at the shooting he had done everything he wanted, no matter how much it hurt to betray not only himself, but his friends as well. Had they found out that Mitch told Jerome everything? Was he no longer viable for them?

Nadella placed the glass back on the table and then leaned forward. His satisfied smile didn't disappear for a second and it began to creep Mitch out. They were all in on it. Murphy, his bosses, the CEO… everyone.  
Mr. Nadella opened his mouth and Mitch quickly shot a panicked look towards Jerome, but he had his back turned to him and was eagerly discussing something with Ian…

"Team Crafted clearly needs a leader."  
Nadella's words hit Mitch completely unexpected and with a frown on his face he turned back towards the CEO. "…what?"

"A leader. Someone who is in charge of the group, who leads the team in games, events and the advertising. I talked to Murphy and he repeatedly recommended you for the job, Mitchell."  
It was a week feeling in his stomach, really just a hunch, but it was enough for Mitch to glance over Nadella's shoulder. Murphy was standing a few meters away at the edge of the large group in the middle of the hall. He was watching both of them carefully and as Mitch detected him, he nodded carefully.

Of course he wanted Mitch to take the role of the leader – Team Crafted would be completely in Murphy's hands and not a single member would really have a chance to stand in his way anymore. Here it was, Mitch's final chance for a little bit of resistance. He had given himself up for Murphy, there was no way back, but never would he pull his unknowing friends with him down this hole.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Nadella, but I fear I have to refuse. As much as I appreciate your offer and your confidence in me, I'm not cut out for this kind of responsibility." The CEO looked disappointed for a second and Mitch was already expecting him to force the job onto him and really being in on the whole plan, but then he smiled and raised his shoulders.  
"That's unfortunate. Is there anyone you would recommend to me instead, Mr. Hughes?"

It only took Mitch a second to come up with the ideal person and with a for once honest smile on his lips he nodded eagerly.  
"I already have the perfect member of the group in mind."

* * *

The air outside of the crowded hall was fresh and clear, as Mitch stood on the balcony to look over the quiet parts of the city. Various lights illuminated the night and for a moment he was able to ignore the festivities and the loud music.  
His face rested on his hands, which were placed on the railing. Slowly he closed his eyes and tried to relax the clenched muscles in his back. He had been on the alert the whole week long – not visibly of course – and it was tiring him massively. Before, when the rest of the team had still ignored him, it wasn't as hard to pretend and to keep a smile on his face, but now they were around him all the time so that he barely had a second to collect himself.

A loud sigh.  
A deep breath.

It had to work. No matter how hard it seemed to be, he had to keep Murphy away from the team. After all they had made the decision to agree to Microsoft's offer against all doubts, due to his encouragement. They were going to be fine, Mitch would make sure of it.

But there still was the problem with his family.

He knew that he couldn't avoid them forever, but every time he wanted to call them, the fear was too much for him to bear. Mitch carefully pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at the screen. Two new messages – of course from his mother. At least he should let them know that he was alright and would stay longer than anticipated in LA. A little message… no, rather a call. They would appreciate it for sure and he desperately needed to hear their voices, just shortly, some kind of familiarity, a little bit of comfort…

He nearly hit the call button, as a voice behind him made his heart stop for a moment.  
"What are you doing out here?"

A frown appeared on his face and before Mitch turned around, he quickly put the phone back in the pocket of his blazer. The voice was neither as authoritative as Nadella's, nor as threatening as Murphy's and he wondered who else would be looking for him, if it wasn't Jerome.

"Adam?"  
The smile on his face was stunning Mitch for a second and the frown deepened, as Adam took several steps forward and leaned against the railing in the same way Mitch had done before. "I just talked to Nadella. He kinda promoted me to be the official leader of the group."

At first both were silent…  
Then Mitch began to laugh happily and for once completely honest.

"Congratulations, you really deserve it."

"Thanks. It's weird, but I guess I'll get used to it. It's just an official thing anyway – we're not making the same mistakes twice, that's for sure."

Surprised Mitch blinked at Adam and froze – of course the other one noticed his reaction and grinned humorlessly about it. "You know we should talk at one point about it." Mitch gave no reply. He unconsciously crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaned back against the railing and stared at the happy group of rich people inside of the building.

Something he had dreamt of long ago.  
Something that had led to the destruction of many things he had held dear once.

"I know. But not now. I'm sorry, but I can't, there's too much on my mind right-"  
"I understand," Adam interrupted him and turned around as well to watch the party going on. The amusement was completely gone from his face and instead he was more serious than Mitch had thought him to be capable of. Wondrously it didn't scare him and Mitch wasn't skeptical either – Adam's unusual reaction gave him a little bit of confidence and hope. He wasn't alone in this, even though he couldn't talk about it. The only thing he needed to do was to continue being a brick wall between Murphy and the team and his family. Then everything would be okay. No one would be fired. No one would be hurt in the process.

"I really do," Adam added and then the smile came back in an instant. Mitch felt himself returning it automatically and embarrassed he looked away. "Thanks," he uttered in return with a barely audible voice and took a deep breath – somehow it was easier than before.  
"So-" he began, but had to clear his throat first, "Why aren't you angry with me anymore? I mean… Let's be honest, you still are not very fond of me for what happened back then. At least you showed it enough times back at your house."  
Thankfully his voice didn't sound accusingly and Adam didn't try to defend himself asap.

"I promised you to not be an asshole, remember? Still trying to keep it up."  
Mitch didn't answer, but even Adam was able to notice the light chuckle.

"Come on, it's getting cold out here and the others are waiting for us. We want to celebrate a bit." Adam pushed himself off of the railing and surprisingly reached out to Mitch. It took him barely a second to decide what to do. Carefully Mitch grabbed his hand and the confidence grew, while Adam pulled him back inside to their friends and away from the darkness.

What he didn't know was that Adam tried to pull him back from his dark thoughts in his mind as well.  
What he didn't know was that they had been watched the whole time.


	19. Chapter 18: No Invincibility

**AN: **Before the chapter starts I wanna thank **mulzypops** for leaving me a comment! Thank you! :)

* * *

**Music tip:  
Havana – Vita Bella  
youtube: **watch?v=XJznj2CEwDE

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 18:  
**_No Invincibility_

* * *

Loud music echoed through the discotheque that Microsoft had booked completely for the after-show party. Thankfully Mitch wasn't surrounded by the same group of old investors and company bosses from the launching event, but instead there were a lot of younger representatives of famous game producers, various companies and Microsoft itself.  
The launching event had been over quickly, after Adam had brought Mitch back to their friends inside. Now they were sitting in a secluded area on one of the higher levels and had a perfect view onto the dance floor. It must have for sure been one of the more expensive discotheques. The lights were placed perfectly to give the guests a mystical feeling and they helped Mitch a lot with getting invisible if he wanted to. He knew that Murphy was here as well with Nadella, but they had lost sight of each other when Mitch had pulled Team Crafted in the opposite direction of the CEO.

The music was helping him to get rid of the anxious feeling and instead another one flared up that was new to him. Revolt. It was new for him, but Mitch enjoyed every second of it. Being Murphy's bitch was sickening and he desperately needed something to let go of the tension. Mitch took another sip of the glass in front of him. The alcohol probably had something to do with it as well.

"It's amazing here, have you looked at this place?!"  
Jason and Ty returned from a little tour through the club and sat down again with flushed faces. "I still can't believe we're some kind of VIPs here, it's so unreal!" Half of the group agreed and laughed, while Mitch replied before taking another sip, "You better enjoy it while you can, buddy!"

"Don't you think you drank enough, Mitch?"  
Jerome was sitting on the couch near Ian and held a glass in his hand, but he seemed to be more worried than relaxed. Of course he had to spoil the party and with a sigh Mitch leaned over the armrest of the couch he was sitting on. "No I don't think so. Come on Jerome, don't be such a baby and give me a rest."  
His best friend tried to answer him, but somebody else was faster than him. "Exactly! He still has to show me how to drink Tequila," the person near Mitch slurred and put an arm around his waist to pull him back into the warm body. "Tonight he belongs to me, you get him back tomorrow. Promise! …probably."

"And how in the world did this happen?! I thought you two were about to murder each other some days ago," Ty asked amused and looked over to Mitch and Adam. "Nope, we're buddies again, aren't we Mitchy?" The smirk on Adam's face was adorable and Mitch had to laugh, before he tried to answer with a pitiful look towards Ty, "Others are worse."

"Hey, I'm not that bad!"  
Adam pouted and the group began to laugh hysterically, while Mitch patted his cheek. "Alright, alright, you're not."

To be honest Jerome probably was right.  
Not in a million year would Mitch have allowed himself or Adam to be so close to him after what had happened, but famously enough alcohol made people overcome their inhibitions quite simply. It just felt nice to be so close to someone again and to feel the other's tight embrace, because somehow it reminded Mitch of their former friendship. They had been incredibly close as well, certain photos from their trip in Europe were evidence enough, before the group had fallen apart.  
Nonetheless he could understand Jerome's concern. He knew Mitch's behavior under the influence of alcohol. It usually took him some time, but once Mitch was drunk there was no going back. His best friend already had to endure enough stupid ideas from a drunken Mitch in the past to know better.

But the feeling to just forget everything, Murphy, Microsoft, Nadella, the threats and the pain…  
Just for one night he wanted to forget.

The waitress for their table came and brought a silver plate with little glasses, a bottle with amber liquid, some salt and a little plate with lemon slices. He was the first to cheer, while Jerome groaned "Oh dear god, not Tequila! Count me out." and leaned back with a weary smile on his face. Quentin was as excited as Mitch, Jason was in as well and Adam still held on to Mitch's waist possessively. Ian stated he would volunteer to be one of the more sober guys to get them home later together with Jerome and Ty was still talking to the pretty young waitress.

"So how is it done?!" Adam asked excitedly and looked from Jason and Quentin to the plate and then to Mitch. He felt the cocky smile on his face, but couldn't care less, as Quentin filled four glasses and put them in front of the participants. Mitch grabbed a slice of lemon and then Adam's hand.

"You begin with the salt…"  
He spread some of the lemon juice onto the back of Adam's hand, who grabbed his waist a little bit tighter and sat completely still, while Mitch carefully put the salt onto the wet spot. With a short look into the other's dark eyes Mitch licked the salt off of his hand.

"Then you drink…"  
Quickly Mitch grabbed the small glass and downed the content. He still had Adam's hand in his own and unconsciously clutched it tightly, as the burning sensation of the strong alcohol spread in his body. With a deep breath he put the glass back down and picked up the lemon slice again.

"…and finally the lemon."  
Mitch put the soft flesh of the lemon in his mouth, bit down and sucked to taste the bitter juice of the fruit. Immediately he screwed up his face, the group began to laugh and he placed the used slice onto a clean plate. All three flavors combined were a delectation and Mitch enjoyed the aftermath in his body, when Adam's look woke him up from his rush.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Jason and Quentin doing the same, the rest of the group started up a conversation again, drowned out by the beat of the music. The chocolate brown eyes staring at Mitch had visibly darkened and with a glimmer in his eyes that Mitch didn't know Adam grabbed his hand. "Let's see if I got that right, shall we?"  
He wasn't able to formulate an answer, so he simply nodded.

"The salt."  
Adam carefully spread the lemon juice onto his hand, then the salt. Without breaking their eye contact Adam raised Mitch's hand, but instead of licking the grains of salt away, he placed gentle kisses onto the back of his hand and then licked the salt from his lips. He took the lemon slice again and asked "Can you hold that for me, please?", before he put it in between Mitch's lips.

The smirk on Adam's lips should've been forbidden and Mitch's heart stopped for a second, until Adam grabbed the Tequila glass and downed the liquid as well. He stopped breathing as well, when Adam's dark eyes landed on Mitch's lips. A whisper.

"The lemon."  
And then he leaned forward again and placed his lips on Mitch's, while biting down onto the slice sticking out of his mouth. He couldn't hold back a sigh, as he closed his eyes and felt the juice running over his bottom lip. Before it could drop down, Adam intensified the kiss a bit and Mitch could feel him sucking on the slice. Mitch followed suit, took a short and ragged breath and felt himself grabbing Adam's white shirt. Distantly he could make out voices and the deep rhythm of the song, but he couldn't care less as Adam managed to invade his mouth with his tongue.

Mitch didn't remember a single kiss that was so…  
unique.

He could taste the salt, the drink and especially the lemon, while they battled for dominance and deepened the kiss even further. Adam's hands were on his back, his hips and then in his neck and on his cheek, caressing his skin and bending his head carefully to Adam's liking. Finally they had to stop and catch their breaths.

Mitch leaned against the backrest of the couch and closed his eyes, due to the spinning room around him, while Adam got rid of the lemon slice. For a moment it was quite expect for the music, then Jerome asked, "The fuck, Mitch? I told you that you had enough!"

"Screw you," he replied and winced at the sound of his raspy and slurring voice. Opening his eyes again he looked at Adam and returned the grin on his face. "We're just having some fun… right?"  
"Absolutely right. Didn't know Tequila could be so much fun," Adam replied and pulled Mitch closer again, as some of the guys began to cheer. "You're in for another round?" Mitch asked and bit down onto his lip. The heat was overwhelming, nonetheless he yearned for more.

How long has it been, since he had been able to enjoy such a kiss? An embrace? The tension?  
Mitch couldn't remember.

And to be honest Adam probably felt the same, didn't he?  
Alesa and Adam had just broken up, he felt hurt, alone and in need of some closeness. He needed to feel alive again and somehow Mitch understood him. Maybe they really were closer than predicted. Maybe they could move on from the memories lurking in the back of their minds.

"You don't even have to ask, honey."  
They made eye contact and came to a silent agreement.

In the next moment Mitch took the initiative, threw caution to the winds and straddled Adam's lap, who immediately laid his hands onto his hips again. This time Mitch leaned forward and closed their lips for a kiss. It was slow and sweet, but not less emotional than the previous one. Both took their time to find out what the other one liked and in doing so they began to help each other more than anticipated.

Adam's scars began to heal, slowly but steadily.  
Mitch forgot the pain and the fear in rediscovering pure and raw emotions.

"Don't let Murphy see that, or he'll murder you."  
A laugh. A warning. Half in earnest, half in jest.

Mitch tensed and broke the kiss.  
Adam was confused and absentmindedly tried to ease the tension in his clenched muscles. Mitch's eyes were clouded with emotions he didn't want Adam to know about, but he didn't seem to mind. With an angry and shaking voice he replied without turning around, "I don't give a fuck." Adam's thumb stroked his bottom lip, then they kissed away the dark thoughts lurking in the back of their minds.


	20. Chapter 19: No Backdown

**AN: **Before the chapter starts I wanna thank those two lovely people here for leaving me a comment! :) **Kobella &amp; ****FlygonWriter64! **

* * *

**Music tip:  
Guy Sebastian - Beg  
youtube: **watch?v=EyFsV8LbJdI

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 19:  
**_No Backdown_

* * *

It was easy.  
Every step he took, every smile he forced onto his face, every happy wave of his trembling hand.  
It was easy to revert back to his old ways.

And no one noticed anything.  
Mitch felt relegated to the times after the breakup of Team Crafted. The thought of admitting his mistake, to show his hurt feelings and the self-loathing for destroying what he and his friends had tried to protect so dearly had been unfeasible for him back then. And so he had started to pretend to be the usual carefree guy, who didn't give a crap about the dark side of his past and how all of it affected those around him.

He felt safe and secure behind the wall he had built inside of his troubled mind and it was too easy to hide from Murphy, his uncontrollable schemes and the fear. It was better this way, wasn't it? To fight against the evil in the form of their now official mentor would only get him into even more trouble. He couldn't risk his family's wellbeing and Jerome's, because Mitch wasn't sure what Murphy would be capable of once he learned of his best friend knowing everything.

It was a risk he wasn't willing to take at the moment.  
To hell with all the worries and tears and the desperation. He was sick of it and pretending to be alright was helping him to ignore what was wrong as well.

"Are you feeling any better?"  
A soft voice to his left brought Mitch back to reality and with a frown on his face he looked to his left. Jerome was sitting on the unoccupied seat of the private airplane, with which they were brought to the first official event about Minecraft after Microsoft had taken over. Mitch had put his feet up on the opposite seat in the luxury interior of the plane, because originally the young Canadian had planned on getting some sleep after the take-off in LA this morning.

His mind had kept him from doing so due to the gloomy thoughts, which had returned with full force after he had realized what had happened the night before. Mitch had kissed Adam. Multiple times. How in the world had he allowed himself doing something so stupid?! Some romantic emotions with Adam of all people was the last thing he needed to deal with. For the nth times he cursed the strong impact alcohol had on him and then slightly raised the dark sunglasses with his left hand to look at the waiting American.

"Still like shit."

"You want some pills for the headache?"

"Nah, those aren't that bad. I'm just feeling sick all the time. Being in a plane doesn't really help," he replied quietly and tried to smile, because he was thankful for Jerome still being worried about him, even though he had tried to stop the hardheaded Canadian from drinking too much.

"Alright," Jerome answered, but just as he wanted to stand up to leave him alone again, he suddenly sat back down and leaned towards him. "So… do you want to talk about what had happened between-"  
He wasn't even able to finish his sentence, because Mitch rose abruptly from his seat, shot a quick "I'm sick!" in his direction and then made a bolt for the small bathroom in the back of the plane.

As soon as he had closed the door behind him, he slid down the door and sighed deeply. Why couldn't Jerome let certain topics rest for just a little amount of time? The least Mitch wanted to do right now was to think about why he had kissed the person he had never wanted to see again in his life just a few weeks ago.

All that he had wanted was to get back what he had lost all those months ago.  
His friends, Team Crafted and a carefree time recording videos.

How did it end this way?

A knocking sound from the other side of the door made Mitch flinch.  
"Are you alright?"  
It was Adam. The last person he wanted to talk to right now.

"I'm fine," he reluctantly muttered and hid his face in his crossed arms on his bent knees. "Just feeling sick."

"Doesn't sound like it."

"Leave me alone, Adam," he sighed, but Adam stayed in front of the door without leaving him alone. "Can't do that, sorry. I really want to talk to you about what happened, because I get the impression that you have been avoiding me the whole day."  
From the sound of Adam's voice Mitch could tell that he sat down on the floor as well. He was still able to understand his voice, even though he obviously tried to be quiet so they weren't overheard.

"I'm avoiding everyone right now, if you didn't notice," Mitch finally answered but made no move to open the door for Adam. It didn't stop him from continuing the conversation though.

"I did… and I believe it's not only because of you not feeling well."

"I'm not _that_ upset with what happened in the club, so can we just forget it and-"

"No, I know. I think it has something to do with Murphy instead."

Mitch didn't reply.  
How could he, when Adam was so damn close to the truth?  
Was it so obvious? Mitch had tried to behave as normal as possible, when Murphy had entered the plane together with the whole team this morning, but he knew that he hadn't been very successful with hiding the weary glances into his direction every once in a while. The sunglasses could only hide so much.

"I know there's something going on between the two of you. Please talk to me, Mitch. It's obvious that it's wearing you down more and more."

"Why do _you_ care?" Mitch replied heatedly and tried desperately to think of something to get to another topic. He wasn't willing to talk to Jerome about what Murphy was doing to him, so how could he bring himself to be honest to Adam of all people?  
Not even his own family knew what was going on at the moment.

"Idiot. I told you over and over again that I promised you to not be an asshole any longer. In the past weeks I have tried my best to be nice to you, but you just kept pushing me away. I can only do so much Mitch, because I need your support as well in this matter. Maybe you don't care about it, but I want us to be friends again. And not only while we're drunk, you know?"

Adam's little rant had made an impression on Mitch and for several seconds he stayed quiet and thought about what to say. Since the mess with Murphy had started, Mitch hadn't thought about their damaged relationship anymore, even though it had been on his mind from Murphy's first phone call on.

"I do."

"What?"

"I do care about us being friends again, Adam. I… Fuck, I just want all of this to work out, but the longer this goes on, the more I seem to screw everything up," he desperately whispered and buried his head in his arms again. He shouldn't tell Adam all these things, especially when Murphy was in the plane with them.  
The thought made him close up immediately.

"As far as I know you didn't screw up anything," Adam tried to comfort him, but Mitch replied with a humorless and bitter laugh, "You have no idea."

"Then tell me about it."

"…our fight. The reason for it. Don't tell me I haven't messed up royally back then, Adam."  
He didn't reply.  
Instead Mitch could hear him sigh, before he decided to say, "I'm to blame as well, Mitch. I guess we both messed up, didn't we?"

The answer was obvious.  
Mitch raised his head to lean it against the door to look at the ceiling of the small cabin.  
"What would have happened to us if we had stayed together as a group?"

"Are you referring to the kiss yesterday?"

"No. I mean… maybe. I don't know. To be honest I still have no clue how it happened. Sure, there was the alcohol, we were both drunk and needed something like that, but… don't get me wrong, but it's not like we're very close right now."

Adam's voice changed, as he replied nearly instantly. It was the topic he had wanted to discuss the whole day with Mitch, so it wasn't surprising for the Canadian that he sounded relieved, but as confused as Mitch felt at the same time.  
"That's what I've been thinking about as well. I just… can I be honest with you?"

"Go ahead."

"I liked it, hands down. It felt so good to just be wanted like that again, after what happened with Alesa and me, you know? I'm nowhere close to finding someone I wanna love again, but I really needed that. So… thank you."

Despite the precarious topic they were talking about Mitch had to smile. Adam's words were unmistakable and feelings were suddenly prompted that he tried to bury as fast as they had appeared.  
"So we can agree on it being nothing serious?"

"Definitely. Can we agree on trying to be friends again?"

"Definitely."  
A few moments later Mitch decided to get up again and opened the door. Adam was standing up as well and just smiled at him confidently. He looked so content, grateful and happy that Mitch unconsciously stopped for a short second, before he got over his reluctance and simply hugged the other boy.

"You're done being _sick_?"

"I actually am, but I guess it has just gotten a little bit better thanks to you."

"I'm glad I could be of help to you then. Come on, let's get back to the others, we're landing soon."  
And without hesitating Adam grabbed his hand and pulled the blushing Canadian with him to two free seats. He wasn't able to ignore the fluttering feeling in his stomach, but he ignored it again as he had done when Adam had admitted those sweet, sweet words to him.

Nothing serious.  
Just friends.

Right?


	21. Chapter 20: No Fear

**Music tip:  
Krewella – Live for the Night  
youtube: **watch?v=0mVck88W01I

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 20:  
**_No Fear_

* * *

The first difference they noticed was the size of the hall itself, in which the new Minecraft fan event was hosted by Microsoft for the first time ever. It easily was comparable with the one in which the main stage had been during the last Minecon event he had been to a few years ago.

"…then Mitchell and last but not least Adam will follow. Some fans will be lined up at the side, so make sure to…"

Mitch drowned out Murphy's voice and glanced through the partly open door of the small room the team and him were currently in. From what he could see the stage they would go on was on the other side of the room. Countless rows of seats were placed in blocks in front of it and one big aisle in the middle would be their way to the stage later on, when the hall was filled with countless fans.

Right now he couldn't imagine the hall being even half-full, after he had read the comments under his most recent videos. The fans were mad for Microsoft banning Minecraft from other gaming channels and even though most of them cherished the fact that their precious Team Crafted was reunited once more, they weren't willing to accept the unfair ban.  
Right now he couldn't see someone coming at all. He wouldn't for a fact.

Another point making him skeptical regarding this event was the fact that Murphy wanted to do something _special_. Instead of simply walking up to the stage when the welcome speech of Mr. Nadella was over, Murphy wanted them to run down the aisle like fricking rock stars in between the supposed masses of fans.  
It was ridiculous, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Alright, get ready, the halls will be opened in a few minutes."  
Murphy turned around and left the room in the direction of the stage, where he would watch them like a hawk during the whole procedure. As soon as he had left, Mitch took a deep breath and watched as the others prepared for their so-called big moment. Obviously he wasn't the only one unwilling to go out there in a bit.

Exactly 30 minutes later a member of the staff entered their room and left the door to the hall wide open, before turning of most of the lights to stop the guests from noticing them too early. "You know when to go out?" he asked emotionlessly and barely looked at them, while he stood at the side of the door to keep the stage in sight. Without replying they lined up in front of the door and tried to keep a good glance at the hall, but the lights had been turned off during the announcement of Nadella.

He named the first member of the team.  
And suddenly the crowd went wild.

Quentin turned around and winked, as he left the room backwards.  
"Let's get started!"

A spotlight appeared and bathed him in white light, as he walked down the aisle and finally disappeared from their eyes. The noise was ear-deafening and with every member walking out towards the stage it rose.  
Jerome disappeared with an eager look on his face and then there were only Adam and him left.

"Please tell me you're as nervous as I am," Adam rambled quietly despite the noise and leaned forward so that Mitch could hear him. The Canadian turned around with wide eyes and quickly nodded, not daring to hide the anxiousness inside of him after their soothing talk in the plane.  
"Of course, what do you think?! Have you heard them? I didn't think so-"

"It's your turn Mr. Hughes," the assistant interrupted him and pointed towards the stage.  
His heart stopped.

"Good luck," Adam whispered and quickly leaned forward in the darkness of the nearly empty room to press a soft kiss onto his cheek. Then he pushed Mitch forward with a bright smile on his face and suddenly his feet moved on their own.

He entered the hall.  
Silence.  
The spotlight appeared and blinded him for a second.

"Mitchell Hughes, also known as _TheBajanCanadian_!"

The hall exploded, a million screams tore the silence apart and people to his left and right jumped up and down, infected by the heavy beat of the music. His arms were covered in goosebumps and he had to remind himself to breathe, as he slowly started to walk towards the stage.

Mitch picked up his pace and began to run, when he finally was completely overwhelmed.  
Everyone was cheering for him. Simply incredible.

The fans left and right to the small aisle reached out for him with their hands, so he spread his arms and managed to high five one after another. A happy and confident grin was placed on his face and for once it couldn't be more real. They loved him. The crowd went completely crazy just for him and his friends, they adored them and being so close to their idols had to be incredibly special for them. The least he could do for them was to enjoy it as well and be as confident as in his videos.

Not that it was a problem.  
Pure magic.

Way too soon he reached the stage and stood at the front of his friends, throwing his arms up in the air. The screams hit an ear-deafening level and captured in the moment he enjoyed the magnificent view in front of him. Not a single seat seemed to be empty – in every one sat a happy face, clapping their hands to the beat and awaiting something even more special.  
Adam's arrival.

He took a step back and fell in line with his friends, who looked as overwhelmed as he felt. Jerome clapped him onto his back and was saying something to him, but Mitch didn't understand a word due to the clamor. With a bright smile on his face he put an arm around his best friend's shoulders and stared back into the sea of fans.

Of course he knew that a lot of their fans had been enthusiastic about the reunion of Team Crafted.  
Of course he knew that they had a lot of fans to begin with, but _this_…  
He hadn't expected such a welcome in a million years – not even back in the old days of the group, before the fight and the break-up had happened.

Exactly that was what he had wanted all along.  
To be back with his friends.  
To be loved by their fans.  
To achieve something special.

Suddenly the mess with Murphy felt far away, a distant and unpleasant memory, a bump on the road to reach his goal. Then the memories became stronger, the threats and hurtful actions of his supposed to be mentor, the reason he had agreed to be part of this unfair company in the first place-

The smile dimmed and slowly he looked to his right. Directly beside the stage stood Murphy, hidden in the dark with a satisfied smirk on his lips. Mitch wasn't the only one, who was happy about the outcome of the event, but Murphy's reasons were so much more darker and perfidious.

This was what Murphy had wanted all along…  
Pleased fans.

Right.

The thought began to spread in his mind and suddenly the event faded into the background of his consciousness. He couldn't do anything against his nemesis, not directly, but when Murphy's plans didn't work out, when the fans weren't content with him anymore…

A plan was formed in his mind and the happy smile made way for a superior smirk.  
It was risky, but it could work out and was the only chance he had left at beating Murphy and his schemes once and for all.

"Mitch? What's going on?!"  
Jerome.

He looked to his left while the people were cheering for Adam, who was just walking towards them down the aisle.  
"I decided to fight back," he simply answered, looked back at the fans and waved.

"Wait- do you mean Murphy? What have you planned?!"

"Just wait and see, Jerome, wait and see."


	22. Chapter 21: No Deference

**Music tip:  
Elin Bergman – Gasoline Dream  
youtube: **watch?v=885F7jCfsB8

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 21:  
**_No Deference_

* * *

"Mitch, you should really get up now, it's already past 2. I thought you wanted to record with us later."

His head was pounding painfully, as he slowly raised his head out of his big pillow. The bright sunlight was making him squint his eyes and with a moan he let himself fall onto his cozy bed again.  
"Yes I do, just returned at 6 though. Give me a few minutes," he answered Jason with a raspy voice and closed his eyes again. Contrary to his assumption though his companion didn't leave him alone and instead knelt down at the side of his bed. With a clearing of his throat he continued their little conversation, even though Mitch must have looked anything but motivated.

"You were completely wasted when you returned, weren't you?"

"…kinda. Sorry if I woke you up," he muttered and didn't bother to keep his sleepy eyes open during his half-hearted reply. Jason though didn't seem to mind and laughed, "Not me but Quentin actually. He was quite mad at you."  
"Then I have to apologize to him later. You finished now?" Mitch sighed and felt sorry for being rude, but his head was pounding way too much for him to really care about it at the moment.

"Not quite yet. What is wrong, Mitch?"

And all of a sudden his eyes were wide open out of surprise. How could he possibly know? Did Jerome tell him? Had Jason heard them talking about it? Thankfully he didn't notice Mitch's panic and continued with a too serious tone in his voice that didn't want to fit him.

"We all like a party once in a while, but you never were the kind of person to behave like… _this_. You're way too reasonable for that and I can't get my head around what changed you so drastically."

It was silent for a second, then Mitch found his voice again and tried to reply as steady as possible, "People change over time, Jason."

"Not like this though, Mitch. At first we were quite happy that you had stopped being so gloomy and withdrawn all of the time, but this is not how me met you back then either."  
And suddenly they were wading into a state of mind that Mitch had desperately tried to leave behind all those months ago. Jason wasn't going to talk to him about Murphy and Mitch's current problems at all.

"Things happened, you can't expect me to stay the same after that."  
Both knew what he was hinting at, but apparently Jason wasn't willing to talk about it directly either, so they carefully danced around the precarious topic. Naming it wasn't necessary.  
"I know, but so much time has passed. Don't you think we should just try to move on? I mean, even Adam forgave you, so it would be only fair of you to forgive him for-"

"It's not that," Mitch interrupted him and buried his face in his pillow to escape the worried and pitiful glance of his friend. "I forgave him long ago and I've tried so hard to move on for _so long_, Jason, but-"  
He stopped himself and fell silent.

"You know that you have to forgive yourself as well, right?"

"How am I supposed to do that? I messed everything up back then and-"  
Mitch fell silent and glanced up at a barely smiling Jason, who looked way to calm after his unintentional statement.  
"Don't think you are the only one who blamed himself, Mitch. Every day I thought about what I could have done different to prevent our group from falling apart, but our whole cooperation was so poisoned at this point that a break-up was necessary to prevent an even worse outcome. At least that was what I kept telling myself, after I had realized that we weren't getting back together."

"…and that worked?" he asked skeptically and managed to grin as Jason laughed out loud.

"Mitch, we are all responsible for what happened back then. Adam, you, Jerome, I…"

"But you didn't do anything," he argued and slowly raised himself from his cave made out of his thick blanket.  
"Exactly Mitch, I didn't do _anything_ to prevent the fight and what happened in the first place to cause it."

He stayed quiet and stared aimlessly out of the bright window, thinking about Jason's words. Maybe he was right after all. How much good could it do to get himself down over and over again about something that the other's had left behind long ago?  
If he really wanted to sort this mess with Murphy out and get the team back together for good, then maybe he should start at the very beginning.

Forgiving Adam? Done.  
Forgiving himself?

"It's not as hard as you might think, Mitch," Jason interrupted his thoughts as if he had read his mind and stood near the open door. "Opening up once in a while doesn't hurt."  
Then he left a confused Mitch alone with his thoughts and a pounding headache.

Half an hour later he dragged his still exhausted body into the kitchen of their LA house, where Jerome was already waiting for him. For a minute he watched Mitch's struggle to get himself a cup of coffee and to decide whether he should sit down or go to the bathroom to get rid of the rest alcohol messing up his body. When he finally sat down at the kitchen table, Jerome sighed and put the local newspaper in front of him without commenting on it.

After a minute of Mitch reading the article on one of the last pages, he laid the paper back onto the table and grinned at his silent friend. "It's working perfectly so far."

"Are you really sure about that?" Jerome pressed him with a skeptical look on his face and then continued, "Have you actually read the article? They nearly called you a whore, Mitch."

"Exactly. I bet Murphy is throwing a fit right now," he grinned and sipped on his coffee, glad about the calming conversation he had had with Jason, while Jerome sighed loudly and came a bit closer to talk to him in a quieter voice. "And you're actually enjoying it? Seriously?"

"Of course I don't," he muttered into his cup and took another sip, when the headache flared up again. "But it's the only chance to end this disaster, Jerome. And don't you dare telling me it isn't, because you actually haven't come up with something better yet."

"I know, but it shouldn't be the only way. Also we don't know how he will react, I fear that your plan is going to backfire," he tossed in and mustered Mitch, who refused to return the look his friend was giving him.

"You know what?" he mumbled bitterly and grabbed the cup tighter in his hands. "I don't even care anymore, I'm sick and tired of this shit. All I wanted was to be together with the guys again and have a good time, but Murphy fucked _everything_ up. I still haven't talked to my parents, because I'm afraid that they'll immediately know what's up; all of our other friends have immense problems since they can't really record their videos anymore and don't even let me get started on our own videos."

Jerome stayed quiet, but in a silent form of comfort he laid a hand onto his back.  
Then Mitch's phone began to ring and both stared at the display.

"Shit, I told you Mitch," Jerome groaned and buried his face in his hands, while Mitch only needed a second to decide what to do. The ringing stopped as he rejected the call and turned off his phone, before he got off his chair.

"Where are you going?"

"Recording with some old friends."  
Even though Mitch had his back turned to Jerome, he knew that his friend was looking at him with concern and disapproval in his eyes. Something he probably wasn't going to change anytime soon.

* * *

The lights of the street lamps brightened the inside of the luxurious sedan from time to time, while they drove through the illuminated city. Unemotionally Mitch stared out of the car and observed the carefree people on the walkway on their way to a party with friends or simply to go home.

His phone blinked and highlighted an incoming message from one of the guys he was going to meet at a club. The need to go to another party and to get drunk again had surprisingly shown up even before he had left the house and for a moment the reward to get out of the mess with Murphy once and for all only seemed like a nice side effect. The thought of just losing his mind again, his memories of the past weeks, the doubts, the pain… His original motive came to the fore of his mind once again.  
If he just annoyed him enough with not behaving properly and going astray, Murphy had to take actions sooner or later and this time he couldn't follow his regular plans. The people and fans were confused about his unusual behavior and more than once had they criticized him still being in the team.

It would be best for Murphy to throw him out and then he would be able to finally do something about the corrupt way his boss was working with the group. Mitch would be free from his grasp and could blow his cover without having to be afraid of him anymore. The only thing burdening him was the thought of his friends and his family. With a little bit of luck they would stay unharmed until he had sorted things out with Murphy.  
And then Team Crafted could be united and stronger than ever before.

But if his plan didn't work out, if Murphy would take more drastic measures…

Mitch wasn't willing to think about the possibility and gladly welcomed the diversion in form of a message from Rob_. It's online, here's the link. Thanks for the help, we really need it!  
_He didn't waste another second and copied the link to another video platform, so that he could tweet about it. Before he had left the house he had recorded some Minecraft games with his friends from Canada and their new-founded group called _The Pack_. They revolted against the rules of Microsoft and still uploaded their usual Minecraft videos, just on other platforms. Even though they didn't earn any money with it, they still were able to support themselves with the help of numerous donations.

After a short reply to Mitch's friend his driver stopped the car at the side of the road in front of an illuminated building, pointing to a well-known club in LA. A line of excited people blocked the entrance, but a small group stood to the left of it and greeted Mitch joyfully as he stepped out of the car.

An hour later he was standing on a seat in a separated part of the club and downed another glass, while the group surrounding him was cheering enthusiastically. He hadn't even stepped off the seat properly, when an unfamiliar girl put her arms around his neck and pressed herself against his numb body.

Over the deafening sound of the music he wasn't able to hear what she was saying to him, but the meaning was obvious nonetheless. Without thinking about it he pulled her aside to the smaller dance floor they had in their separated area and pulled her closer. They began to dance in the dimmed lighting to the infecting beat, swaying and circling around each other without defined steps and raising the other's pulse with little touches and their lips.

Again Mitch fell into the captivating rush of being able to forget everything that bothered him. The fog in his mind successfully locked Murphy out of his mind and gave way to a certain carefreeness that he had missed for so long. No videos he had to take care of, no threats, no one telling him his behavior was inappropriate for a younger audience-

A bit unsteady on his feet Mitch returned to his so-called friends on the couches, when his female companion excused herself to go to the bathroom. The procedure was repeated, more alcohol, more partying and more moments that disappeared in his dazed brain with girls he had never seen before.

The usual procedure that kept him from thinking too much about his problems.  
The usual procedure that made him feel alive for a short time.

The usual procedure that abruptly stopped, when a man in a black suit painfully grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the group of his confused _friends _and the bittersweet illusion of peace.

"I'm done with you, _Mitchell_. Time to finally face your consequences."  
Murphy.


	23. Chapter 22: No Help

**Music tip:  
Hozier – Take Me To Church**  
**youtube:** watch?v=PVjiKRfKpPI

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 22:  
**_No Help_

* * *

"I'm done with you, _Mitchell_. Time to finally face your consequences."  
It was Murphy.

It took Mitch a minute to realize what was happening, but as the cold air of the night hit him on their way to the black sedan, he froze. His plan had backfired. Jerome had been right all along.  
Mitch was completely ruined, because whatever Murphy was going to do with him-

_What_ was he going to do?

The older man pulled him relentlessly towards the car and practically threw him onto the backseat. Before Mitch had the chance to climb out again in his panicked state of mind, the door was closed by Murphy and then locked thanks to the driver.  
"Let me out!" he screamed at the foreign person sitting in the driver's seat, but he didn't even blink at his desperate plea. Then Murphy sat down in the front of the car and a second later they were driving off into the night of LA.

"Where are we going?!"  
No one answered him.

Again and again he tried to get a reply with a shaking voice and a clear mind, as if the alcohol had been suppressed by the adrenalin and the fear. He had to get help, because who could say what Murphy was capable of?! The only thing roaming around in his head was the last time he had been threatened by him physically shortly before the photo shooting. Now things were even worse and Murphy's rage was palpable in the marooned interior of the car.

With trembling fingers he pulled out his phone and more than once glanced up to make sure that neither the driver nor his boss took notice of the bright screen. Whom to write?! His family? No, someone who was close by, a friend, one of the guys, but whom- Jerome.  
Multiple times he began his short message but deleted it shortly after, because his shaking hands missed the right letters most of the time. What should he write anyway? Where would they go? Would Jerome notice the message or was he already asleep? …should he write someone else as well? Just in case?

The car left the bright city behind and darkness surrounded them, as they drove off into the unknown. His heart beat painfully against his chest and finally Mitch managed to write a short message about his situation, telling them about his currently unidentified position.  
He hit the send button. Jerome. And Adam.  
Then the car pulled over at a small parking area and just as Mitch had put his phone back into the pocket of his jeans, Murphy tore the door open and pulled him roughly out of the car. Mitch barely stumbled to his feet, Murphy smashed the door close behind him and then tore the frightened boy with him over the abandoned and dark parking lot, until they had reached the other side of it.

"Who do you think you are?!"  
Murphy's scream made him flinch and in the next second his back was pressed against a nearby tree. With trembling hands he tried to push Murphy off of him, but the strong grip on his shoulders was painfully tight. He couldn't make a sound, no one would hear him anyway, since they were the only ones on the dark and deserted parking lot.

"You are trying to compete with a company that could make you disappear in the blink of an eye without anyone questioning it. You are trying to compete with a company that has over 127 _thousand_ employees, from whom a whole lot would do _anything_ to be promoted, you can bet your life on that, _Mitchell_."

Murphy's voice was dangerously low, a growl that stuck to his mind, while the older man slowly let go of him. His face was expressionless, the anger suddenly gone, but instead of being soothed Mitch got even more scared.  
He had to get away somehow. What about Jerome and Adam? Had they received his message yet? The last words he had written were about their current position, somewhere on the outskirts of Los Angeles, maybe-

He didn't even see the first punch coming.

Murphy's fist connected with his cheek and a sharp pain made him gasp, but before he had the chance to get away from the aggressive man another punch hit his stomach. The numbing pain spreading in his chest and his legs nearly made him collapse and he wasn't able to hold back a whimper, but Murphy grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up again to press him against the tree one more time. His strong arms pushed against his chest and Murphy was even closer than before.

"Please stop," Mitch whispered with a shaking voice and couldn't look away from the steely glance Murphy was throwing at him.

It was a bad dream. It had to be.  
In a second he would wake up, save and sound in the Team Crafted house together with his friends. Everything would be alright. It would be fine. No Murphy.  
Because if it wasn't a dream this probably would be the end of him, wouldn't it?

The fear froze his body and Mitch wasn't able to protect himself, as Murphy took another swing at him with his iron-like fist. It hit his face again, but this time the pain was even worse and for a moment he nearly blacked out. The throbbing in his head made him groan unconsciously, as Murphy pulled him up against the tree once more.

"I was so forgiving, Mitchell," Murphy whispered and Mitch screwed up his eyes to escape the nausea and the hateful expression on his boss' face. "I warned you countless times to back off and just go with it, but you are a little rebel, aren't you?"

He didn't dare to answer.  
"Now you will get what you deserve."

Mitch was waiting for the next hit - but it didn't come. Instead Murphy let go of him without a word and Mitch slipped to the ground as his legs gave out. Slowly he glanced up. Murphy was pulling out his phone and then knelt in front of the silent Canadian, who was oblivious to his next step.

"Do you remember what I promised you, Mitchell?"  
He stayed silent.  
"I asked you a fucking question, boy!"

The calm, promising tone in his voice disappeared in the blink of an eye and suddenly the anger seemed to be back with full force. Mitch flinched heavily as Murphy raised his free hand, but instead of punching him again he forcefully pressed him sideways onto the ground. His head hit the asphalt and the ringing in his ears tuned out his own groan, while Murphy knelt over him to keep him from running away.

"Do you remember?"  
Teasing. Not angry. Not furious. Just fucking teasing.

"No," he whimpered and hated himself for sounding so weak and defeated, but the will to go against Murphy and his schemes had been eliminated the second his boss had pushed him forcefully into the car.  
"Then I'll make you remember," Murphy whispered and showed him the chosen name from the contact list on his phone. It was the name from his father's superior.

"No, please don't!" he screamed out loud and tried to push Murphy off of him, but the older man was too strong and heavy, so he easily kept Mitch on the ground. "I warned you over and over again about the consequences for your family. Now you have to live with the knowledge that you ruined their lives."  
Even before he finished speaking, Murphy touched the screen of his phone and held it against his ear. With all his remaining energy Mitch begged his foe to give him one more chance and to keep his family out of it, he pleaded and stopped struggling, but Murphy simply pressed his free hand onto his mouth to silence him effectively.

"It's me, Tom. I'm calling you because of that favor you still owe me."  
Mitch tried to scream to get the attention of his father's boss, but due to Murphy's hand it only came out as a muffled sound.

"Exactly. You remember the employee we talked about? …right, Hughes."  
Murphy kept on talking with a gruesome grin on his lips, while watching Mitch in his helpless struggle until he stopped.

"Yes, it is worth it. I appreciate what you are doing for me, Dan."  
It was hopeless, wasn't it? How could he ever protect his family, when he couldn't even protect himself from Murphy?

"Talk to him on Monday, it'll be soon enough. I'm not _that_ heartless."  
A cruel laugh, then Murphy grinned at Mitch and the tears running over his face.  
He couldn't do anything.

His friends.  
His family.  
Mitch himself.

They were all doomed, because he had deemed it wise to fight against Murphy and to not ask for help when he had the chance to do so. He should have just gone to the police together with Jerome after his confession.  
No… He should have never agreed to Murphy's plan in the first place.

But then so many things would have gone wrong, the team, his future, his friends…  
He never would have made up with Adam.

They never would have kissed.

Mitch tried to suppress the butterflies in his stomach, but no matter how dire the situation was, the mere thought about it lifted the pressure on his chest a little bit. It was worth the beating, wasn't it? Did Murphy even know about the kiss between Adam and him in the club? He wasn't keen on finding that out any time soon and kept quiet, as Murphy ended the phone call and finally let go of him.

He stayed on the ground, afraid to raise Murphy's anger again, but his boss just knelt down by his side and whispered with an obsessive voice, "You got into a fight with someone in the club and they brought you here. I don't care how you get home, but if I hear you telling anyone about what really happened, everything you hold dear will go down thanks to yourself. Maybe now you are willing to understand that."  
Then Murphy stood up and left.

He didn't know how much time had passed since the lights of the black sedan had disappeared from the abandoned parking lot, but the cold wind was soothing the wounds on his face and the occasional sound of a passing car on the road was lulling.

Nothing was important enough to disrupt the peaceful silence and Mitch bathed in the feeling of just being alone for a moment. No one threatening or bothering him. Just lying here and drifting off into the darkness at the edge of his consciousness was a bless compared to what he had experienced minutes, maybe even hours ago.

Unimportant.  
No one cared anyway.

And so he continued to lie on the ground, until a car drove onto the parking lot and stopped not far away from him.  
A door was opened. Footsteps. Another car passed them.

"Mitch!"  
A desperate scream. A familiar one as well.

No one cared anyway.  
Right?

"Oh shit- Mitch! Say something, please!"  
The voice came closer, a trembling hand touched his shoulder and turned his cold body around. "Mitch?!"

Then everything went black.


	24. Chapter 23: Light

**Music tip:  
Kygo ft. Parson James – Stole the Show  
youtube: **watch?v=y23XG6U6bh4

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 23:  
**_Light_

* * *

"Jerome? Yes, I've found him!"

With a shaky sigh Adam leaned back into the driver's seat and put his trembling hand onto his forehead, before he looked to the passenger's seat. Mitch's unconscious form would have looked peaceful, if it hadn't been for the dark bruise on his cheek, the fine trail of blood on his face and the painful expression.

It had taken him a whole minute of full-blown panic to realize that Mitch was not dead and still very much alive, no matter how horrible he looked.

"_Thank god! How is he? What happened?!"_

Jerome's voice was shaking and the relief was unmistakable. After Mitch's message and their unreturned calls, they had feared the worst. Adam had been close to calling the police and Jerome had thrown caution to the winds and begged their still clueless friends to help them with finding Mitch.

"I have no idea, he was unconscious when I found him and he looks horrible. I wanna take him to the hospital, but you said-"

"_Fuck! Okay, um… If he doesn't wake up again in the next minutes I'll meet you at the hospital, if he does then decide whether or not it's really necessary. At the ER they'll call the police no matter what you say and we have no idea, what exactly happened between Murphy and Mitch. You really have to talk to him first!"_

Adam adored Jerome for actually being able to think straight despite the serious situation they were in. No matter how worried he was, Jerome was still right – regarding whom they were facing bringing in officials could actually do more harm than good.

"Can you update the guys?"

"_I'm on it. We'll return to the house for now, if his condition is worse than you thought, inform me asap!"_

Jerome wasn't able to hold back the worry for his best friend any longer, but instead of trying to calm him down, Adam simply agreed and then ended the call. His mind was full of worst-case scenarios and just the thought of what Murphy had done to his Canadian fueled the anger in his veins – how was he supposed to put Jerome at ease like that?

Before Adam finally started the motor to leave the scene of crime, he risked another glance at the quiet boy by his side. He should have stopped him from leaving again this evening. He should have protected him from Murphy, after all he had known partly about what he was doing to Mitch. He should have realized that he was more than just a friend to him.

The car slowly rolled onto the deserted street and Adam turned the radio off. The last thing he wanted to hear was some music playing with his emotions, when he really just wanted to listen to a certain someone's voice again, carefree and unconcerned by the troubles of the world. As it had been in the old days of Team Crafted.

An unexpected groan to his right made Adam nearly drive into the ditch at the side of the road and with wide opened eyes he quickly glanced at Mitch. His pale face was scrunched up and he put a hand over his still closed eyes – he was about to wake up.

"Mitch! Thank god!"

Immediately he stopped all his movements in surprise of the familiar voice and for a moment Adam regretted his sudden outburst that must have scared him, then he looked back at the street and simply waited for his voice. A word. Nothing more.

"We were worried about you, you know?" he added slowly to get Mitch to talk, no matter how out of it he was. He had to be alright, just a little groggy, because if Murphy had-

"…Adam? Where in… what happened?"

His voice was too thin and barely audible, nonetheless Adam couldn't be happier to hear it for now. In a poor attempt to hide his relief, he concentrated on Mitch's question, while the boy at his side tried to sit up properly.

"Murphy happened. You wrote us a message, remember?"

"…right."

The underlying tone in Mitch's voice spoke volumes and Adam's stomach clenched painfully at the thought of the man responsible for such a change in the usually happy and confident Canadian. "What did he do to you?" he asked and even though he was still focused on the road, Adam was able to see Mitch tense up from the corners of his eyes. Of course he refused to answer.

"He beat you, didn't he?"

Silence.

They had to stop at a red light on their way back into the city and Adam turned to Mitch, who clenched his fists in his lap and stared down.

"What else did he do to you? Did he threaten you again?"

Mitch didn't even blink at Adam's words and with a sigh he continued to drive, as the lights turned green. In a hopeful attempt to get Mitch to reply to him, Adam wanted to put a hand comfortingly onto his shoulder, but Mitch flinched away at the slightest contact.

A horrible thought appeared in his conflicted mind and made his heart stop for an endless second.

"Oh god, that bastard didn't- I'm going straight to the police, that's it!"

His hands were shaking and clutched the steering wheel, until his knuckles turned white. His mind was racing with ideas which slow and painful deaths he could bring upon Murphy, as a slim hand quickly grabbed his right arm.

"No, Adam! He didn't do what you have in mind, calm down please."

He shortly looked into Mitch's dimmed eyes to make sure he was being honest with him, then he released a deep breath and relaxed his clenched muscles. "I'm sorry, it's just… You didn't answer any of our calls and we were assuming the worst. When I found you, you were just lying there and it's stupid, but- for a moment I thought you were…" he rambled and tried to explain his irrational actions, but thinking back to the lifeless body, pale and bloody, made him stop.

And then Mitch took over.

"He beat me."

Adam froze and desperately tried to stay focused on the road and to not look over to Mitch, because his voice was too fearful for his liking.

"I tried to escape, but he didn't let me."

A broken laugh. Self-loathing. Desperate.

"I was so stupid to think that I could change anything."

His voice began to shake and Adam quickly glanced over with worry written all over his face. Mitch had crossed his arms in front of his chest and pressed himself into the seat. He wanted to say something, anything to get rid of this lost look in his eyes, but Mitch was faster.

"And now I've ruined everything. Just like that. Because I couldn't listen. Because I had to get my way."

And then things started to go down finally.

"Mitch-"

"He fired my father. Just like that. One fucking call."

He bend over and buried his face in his hands, while gasping for breath. Mitch was close to tears and Adam had to take several deep breaths to not follow suit, while his friend was about to break under the massive pressure.

"And I couldn't stop him, no matter what, because he just didn't let go of me. I was screaming my head off, but he just laughed and made jokes to my dad's boss, while I cried like a fucking baby."

The painful sound of Mitch's desperate sobs hurt Adam more than seeing him unconscious on the ground. It hurt more than not knowing where he was. Murphy had done so much more to Mitch than threatening and beating him up. He had taken the conflict to a whole new level, on which Adam wasn't sure if he could protect the boy close to his heart from Murphy's insane methods anymore.

Nonetheless he never would stop trying.

Not after the past weeks, in which they had rediscovered bonds that were still connecting them against all odds of their haunting past. With more confidence than before Adam drove towards the place that would be safest for Mitch right now. Surrounded by his friends, who would protect him at all costs, Murphy would not be able to lay a finger on him, until they had found a solution.

Without saying a word Adam grabbed Mitch's hand and pressed it tightly.

He kept on crying, unable to contain the feelings any longer. And he didn't let go of Adam's hand once.

When they arrived at the large and familiar house, Mitch had calmed down again and was dozing with one arm lying protectively across his stomach. Adam noted in the back of his mind to check if he had been hurt there by Murphy as well, then he turned off the engine and quickly got out off the car to walk to the other side. Mitch was just waking up again and blinked confused at Adam, when he refused to step away.

"You know I have to get out as well at some point, right?" Mitch asked skeptically, while raising an eyebrow and Adam couldn't hold back the relieved smile, due to the more familiar gesture of Mitch during the past hour. Despite all that had happened he still tried to contain himself as best as he could.

"You know I'm not letting you walk after you've been battered like that, right?" Adam replied cheekily, but Mitch shook his head slightly and insisted on trying. Two steps later he had to accept the fact that Adam carrying him might be the better choice, as his legs gave out under him.

Carefully Adam picked him up and with growing worry he noticed that Mitch was putting one arm over his stomach again, whilst the other one was placed around Adam's shoulders. "You alright there?" he quietly asked and slowly went over to the main entrance, but instead of answering Mitch just nodded and then buried his face in the crook of Adam's neck.

Even before Adam had the chance to notify their friends of their arrival, somebody already opened the door for them and then stepped aside. It was Ty. With a grim look on his face he grabbed the doorknob tightly, but stopped himself from saying anything, as he set eyes on the slim figure in Adam's arms.

"Mitch!"

Jerome rushed down the hall and towards them with the rest of their friends in tow, but he stopped abruptly, as he got a glimpse of the state his best friend was in. "Oh shit," someone muttered quietly, but Adam paid no attention to it and continued to stare at Jerome, who seemed to be caught in between endless rage and the need to get the Canadian far, far away from the person responsible for this.

"Mitch, please look at me."

The tension-filled silence was palpable for everyone and uncertain glances were exchanged, while not only Jerome seemed to be on edge. Instead of obliging Mitch grabbed the back of Adam's shirt tightly, who could feel the silent boy tense up completely.

If Jerome would see what Murphy had done to him…

"Mitch! Look at me!"

He flinched. Jerome wasn't going to back down any time soon and Mitch seemed to be aware of that as well. He was his best friend after all. With a weary sigh Mitch slowly lifted his head from Adam's shoulder, threw a helpless smile to him and then glanced at Jerome, who was standing a few feet away from him.

At first he didn't react at all, unlike the others in the room, who vent their anger with surprised shouts and questions about who the hell was responsible for this. Jerome though kept on studying the frame of his best friend, the pale and blood-smeared face, the red and tear-filled eyes, the shaking arm still planted across his stomach…

He snapped.

"I'm going to kill this son of a bitch!"

Jerome was halfway out of the door already, when Ian and Jason managed to grab and hold him back. "Let me go, he deserves to die after what he has done to Mitch, just _look_ at him!"

"Jerome, please stop!"

For a crucial second he stilled and Ian and Jason were able to pull him back into the hall so that Ty could close the door. Furiously Jerome turned around and broke free from his two silent friends to look at Mitch.

"No, enough is enough, he hurt you far too long and I should have done something like this way sooner!"

"You are going to make everything worse, Jerome, please stop!"

"What in the world could make this fucked up situation any worse, Mitch?!"

"He fired my dad."

If Adam hadn't already known about it, he probably would have dropped the Canadian out of shock. Glancing around he noticed the others looking at each other, before they slowly let go of Jerome. He made no move to escape again, instead he continued to stare at Mitch with wide opened eyes. "…what?!"

Out of pure exhaustion and desperation Mitch averted his gaze and buried his face once more in the crook of Adam's neck, who wasn't able to ignore the slight tremble in the Canadian's body. This had been going on for far too long.

"I just had to live through the worst night of my entire life, Jerome, please don't do anything stupid, because I can't-" Mitch started with a trembling voice, but it was audible for everyone that he was close to tears again. So Adam interrupted him.

"You clearly see that he really needs to rest. I'm going to take care of his wounds now and you should start explaining this mess to the others. They deserve an explanation, don't you think?"

Surprisingly Jerome stayed silent and agreed with a slight nod and a last worried glance at Mitch, then he led the others into the living room.

"Thank you," Mitch mumbled, as Adam brought him into his room and carefully laid him onto his bed. A grateful sigh escaped his lips, nonetheless he scrunched up his eyes. "Is it your stomach again?" Adam asked and thought about calling a doctor once more.

"At the moment it's competing with my head. Just give me something for the pain and I'm out cold until tomorrow. Or the day after I guess."

Adam ignored his attempt to lighten the mood, even though he thought highly of Mitch for trying it after all that had happened to him. Carefully he sat down at the edge of Mitch's bed and pulled the first-aid box closer. Adam started to clean the cut on his forehead and since he wasn't able to run away at the moment, he brought the conversation round to a more complicated topic.

"You should call your parents."

"No, absolutely not!"

Mitch tensed up again and for a mere moment Adam regretted confronting him with it, then he abandoned his previous thought and held onto his intention.

"Mitch, they deserve to know what Murphy did to you as much as our friends do. I bet they are as worried as we are after all those threats-"

"They don't know about it."

He must have looked pretty clueless, because Mitch took a deep breath and then explained,

"They have no idea about what's been going on. I haven't talked to them since Murphy's first phone call."

Adam stopped the careful cleaning of Mitch's wound and stared at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

The expression in Mitch's eyes spoke for itself. "I was trying to protect them from Murphy and as it seems I had been right to do so," he tried to defend himself.

With a sigh Adam resumed the treating of Mitch's wounds and refrained himself from answering the Canadian. He probably would have done the same, if he had been in his position. But Mitch of all people, who valued his family highly?

Once more he was faced with what exactly Murphy had caused.

Thankfully Mitch led the conversation into another direction, before the rage was able to take over once more. This time he wouldn't be willing to hold Jerome back – quite the contrary.

"The worst thing in this whole mess is that it's actually my fault."

Before Adam was able to protest, he continued.

"I knew something like this would happen sooner or later, he warned me countless times from the beginning on, but I just kept doing the wrong thing."

Despite the topic and the concerning words from Mitch, Adam had to smile, while he took out a band-aid from the box.

"I'm not surprised to be honest."

Mitch frowned and wordlessly asked for an explanation.

"You aren't the type to back down easily, never were and never will be, if you ask me. I guess that's the reason for our fight back then. Our stubbornness was just too much and we had to clash sooner or later."

"…I'm really sorry for what happened back then, you know?"

Mitch evaded his glance at first, but then forced himself to return Adam's look, when the latter stopped to treat his wounds. Although they had already raised the topic during their flight together, neither of them had the guts back then to actually wade further into the mess they had created months ago.

It had been about time for them to say sorry.

Adam was surprised though that Mitch was the one to take the first step.

"I'm sorry for everything I said to you. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for being too stubborn," he began and stared longer at Mitch than he probably should. The by now so familiar gleam in the brown eyes seemed to slowly return, while Mitch was caught in a similar predicament as Adam. Neither one was willing to move away.

"Why too stubborn?" Mitch slowly asked and blinked once, while he immediately leaned into the soft and hesitating touch of Adam's hand.

"Because I was too stubborn to notice what could have been. With us."

His heart was beating faster, while his mind screamed at him that taking advantage of this situation was the least thing he should do to Mitch. But the Canadian was slowly leaning in as well, eager to get his mind off of Murphy and to explore the unusual tension between them.

"What about the whole _just-friends-agreement_?"

"What agreement?" he asked innocently and felt the smirk on Mitch's lips, as he placed his own on the Canadian's and closed his eyes with a satisfied sigh. Kissing Mitch for the first time in the club had been like a dream, because Adam hadn't been able to remember half of the evening.

This time though he was able to feel one arm slipping around his neck, while a hand clutched the shirt above his heart tightly. Unconsciously he grabbed the hand with his own free one that wasn't occupied with stroking Mitch's soft cheek, while he slowly deepened the kiss.

An eternity later they forcefully had to pull back due to the lack of air, but as Adam looked up into Mitch's glazed eyes and discovered the fine, but first honest smile on his lips since he had picked him up at the parking lot, he knew that it had been worth it.

"That's how I wanna see you."

He couldn't resist and pecked the red lips one again.

"I'm not going to let you down, Mitch, I'm going to bring that pretty smile of yours back for good!"


	25. Chapter 24: No Hope

**Music tip:  
Snow Patrol – What If The Storm Ends?  
youtube: **watch?v=nnEyGS3Hf9A

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 24:  
**_No Hope_

* * *

Adam's intention had been clear.

Back home in Pennsylvania, where Mitch hadn't been for months now, Murphy wouldn't find him. Not in the next days at least, while the rest of the team was trying to finally fight their supposed mentor in court. It would take some time to sort certain events out and find at least some kind of evidence, but against Mitch's doubts they had all agreed to not let his evil schemes continue.

"Because we are friends," Ian had stated confidently as if the past had never been.  
The warm feeling in Mitch's chest had only been expanded by the smile Adam had been giving him.  
Then they had decided to get Mitch out of the line of fire. His parents had been the obvious choice, since he had to talk to them at some point and with the current events going on sooner was certainly better than later. And he needed to recover. Not only from the physical wounds Murphy had laid upon him, but also from the emotional ones. His dad had been fired because of him. There was a lot they had to talk about.

Nonetheless standing in front of their door without turning around to flee was harder than expected and just hesitantly Mitch rang the doorbell after several minutes of not moving at all. It was already late, the flight and drive to his parents had taken the whole day, so Mitch was able to hear the voice of his mother wondering who it could be at such a late hour.

She had not expected to see her son – that much was evident as she let go of the opened door with a gasp and froze. Then she took in his pale and beaten form. The rings under his eyes. The trembling shoulders. The fear in his glance.

"Oh god, Mitch!"  
In an instant she pulled him tightly into her arms and just like that the terrifying panic melted away, as he gladly welcomed the motherly protection she offered without words. He didn't stop shaking, overwhelmed by his feelings. Mitch should have never pushed them away, because in the end they had been involved after all and the cruel separation might have hurt the close bond they always had in a way he wasn't sure how to repair.

"Mom, I-" was all he was able to say, before she shushed him effectively and tightened the hug once more. Then she let go of him, put both of her hands on the sides of his face and looked deeply into his eyes. She wasn't the only one tearing up.

"We have finished eating an hour ago, but I'm going to make you something nice. Then I take a look at that bruise, alright?"  
Her smile was lulling him in, as she pulled him softly into the hallway where he discarded his suitcase at the side to follow her further into their kitchen. His father was standing at one of the cupboards and put the dishes away, when he heard them enter.

"Who was it?"  
His question was left unanswered, as he turned around and nearly let the plate in his hands fall to the ground. "Hey dad," Mitch whispered and was unable to bring a smile onto his face. Not after all that had happened. Not after Murphy. Not since his father had been fired simply because he had a son that was too stupid to not mess everything up.

At first his father seemed to be torn between frustration and anger, but then he must have seen the conflicted emotions in his son's eyes and stormed forward to pull him into his strong arms like his wife had done mere seconds before him.  
Mitch should have never left. He needed exactly this, the comfort of his family which had always helped him, no matter how hard the situation. How did he ever think that he would manage it without them somehow?

"Where have you been?" his father whispered in his ear and pressed his son a little tighter. He wasn't going to let go of him any time soon, but Mitch didn't mind at all. It felt so incredibly good to just let himself fall, to not worry, to simply be and love.  
"Not where I should have been," he replied equally quiet and closed his eyes, while he took a deep breath. The familiar scent of his father felt like a blessing and even though Mitch had come all the way to Pennsylvania to most of all clear their unspoken differences, he wished to forget it all and to just stay in the embrace of his parents. When was the last time he had felt this save?

"We should have known that it would come to this sooner or later."  
Mitch frowned and just like that the cozy atmosphere shattered into bits and pieces of uncomfortable premonitions. He blinked. Something was really off, if the sad tone in the voice of his father was any indication. Slowly he raised his head and stared in the direction of his mother, but she stayed unusually quiet and stood in front of the fridge.

"What are you talking about?"  
Mitch cursed himself for not being able to erase the shaking in his voice and for sounding so insecure, while his father pushed him away a bit to look him into the eyes.

"You _changed_. It was bound to happen and we were foolish to believe that you wouldn't despite all the fame and the money. All the years you were able to avoid it and we did everything we could to keep it that way, but one day all those bottled-up emotions had to come out one way or the other."

"…what?"

"But it's alright, Mitch."  
The smile on his father's face felt unreal. Like a dream. A nightmare.  
"We don't blame you."  
Slowly Mitch backed off and pulled away from the warm embrace.  
"We will fix this."

_We will fix you._

"No, wait, **stop!**"

How did it all went so horribly wrong? His parents were supposed to comfort him, to tell him that he was save here from all the worries and that nothing in the world could change that ever. Now they were accusing him of something that never happened.  
Of something that they only saw in the news.  
"You weren't supposed to do that," he whispered and when he finally had their attention, he continued with a trembling voice, "I told you to **never** believe in what they say!"

"What were we supposed to do, Mitchell? After you denied every single call and ignored every message we sent you it was the only way to somehow know what was going on."  
His father took the shaking in his son's voice the wrong way and gave in to the anger he had suppressed before. With a deep frown on his face and raised arms he took a step forward and out of fear and shock Mitch took another step back. His father froze.  
"Mitch?"

It was one of those habits as he liked to call it. Ever since his encounter with Murphy two nights ago he was unusually jumpy. But his parents didn't know about it, not yet. How in the world was he supposed to tell them? Despite his confusion and the feeling of being betrayed by the people he loved the most on the world he knew that they would wreak havoc over Murphy and the concern he and Mitch were working for now. But against Microsoft they didn't stand a chance, not in the slightest, and especially now after the whole mess with his father's job they should just lay low for a bit.

"You can't deny it though, Mitchell, the whole 'bad boy attitude'. The news are full of it. You have to see that this way of living _can't_ be satisfying. Sooner or later you will se-"  
And there were the accusations again. Did they really know him so little? After all that had happened, after his horrible past and his mistakes regarding the old team they should know that he would _never_ let himself change so drastically.  
A dry and humorless laugh escaped his throat. His father fell silent. His mother turned around.

And with a beaten smile on his face he began to open up.  
"I did it all for you."

They didn't answer, instead they looked incredibly confused and exchanged weary glances. Mitch laughed, louder this time, because it was so, so _stupid_. All of it. And it had been for _nothing_.  
"Everything I did in the past weeks was only for your sake."

And then, at the clueless looks in their surprised eyes, something else rushed through his veins together with desperation and disappointment. Anger. After all he did this was how they thanked him? At last his attempts failed, but how bad would it have been if he hadn't taken Murphy serious from the beginning on? What else would he have ruined?  
"And here you are, blaming me for actually trying to save your ass-"

"Because you don't tell us anything, Mitchell, so why don't you start with the goddamn truth for once?!" his father interrupted him and seemed as agitated as Mitch was. It was the wrong way to approach a serious talk like that, but all the bottled-up emotions were starting to flow out and it was impossible to contain them all. And so he replied as heated as his father, because there was no one else left to direct his anger to.

"Would you even believe me?! Isn't it easier for you to go back and listen to the stupid news, because your so-called son is too busy being a money whore?! If you had been so worried about me changing, why haven't you called Jerome? Or tried to call me after the news went around? It has been easier for you to simply ignore me, so why don't we just go back to that and you can keep living your pretty little lives here, while my life is literally like _hell_ right now?!"

He only realized that he had been shouting, when the oppressive silence took over.  
With clenched fists he stared at the ground, unable to look his parents into the eyes. They were just worried about him and had every right in doing so. The whole Murphy affair had him on edge all the time and the least they deserved was his uncontrolled anger. "I'm sorry," he mumbled and took a deep breath, before he ran his fingers through the strands of his hair.

And then his phone rang.  
One look at the display was like a punch in the gut.

Murphy.

"Mitch, we-" his father began but stopped a second later, when Mitch finally looked up. He could only imagine what his face was looking like, but who could blame him with the feeling of being crushed by despair and panic roaring through his veins?  
"Who is this?"

He took a single glance at his skeptical mother, then he turned around and closed the door to the dining room he fled into. His hand was shaking horribly, as he took the call and raised his phone to his ear. Before he had the chance to say anything, the furious voice of his boss began to yell, _"Did your stupid little brain think we wouldn't find out that you told your friends about what happened?! Are you seriously that demented? Do you think you can take me down, Mitchell?!"_

And just like that his life shattered into a million pieces.  
He knew.

"_I hope you enjoy the time with your family, because no lawyer will go against Microsoft, against __**me**__! Have you any idea how many contacts to every branch of the goddamn industry I have?! I will make you suffer, Mitchell, you, your family and every single friend of yours."_

It was all over.  
"_Especially the one you can't get your hands off."_

He would destroy all of them.  
"_Adam."_

And him.

Before Murphy could continue, Mitch hung up and stared at the dark wall of the unlit dining room. He had to do something. Right? Anything to stop this maniac. The trembling had stopped completely and he could feel the blood rushing from his face. And then, when the initial shock passed, he rushed forward into the kitchen again and past his parents who had been quietly talking to each other.

"Who was tha- what happened?!"  
He didn't know who was talking to him, as he ran into the hallway and over to the jacket he had discarded on top of his suitcase near the door. "I have to go," he whispered with a voice that was unrecognizable even to his own ears.  
Then a strong hand grabbed his upper arm tightly. "Not again and certainly not like this! What is going on?"

A few minutes ago Mitch would have told them everything, but now all that existed was the need to just get away as far and as fast as possible, until he was able to think clearly again and could come up with a plan that would not be the end of them all. Not this time, because there was no second chance for him or the people he loved.

"Please let me go."  
With a single glance into his father's worried eyes Mitch was able to free himself and ran out of the door before they were able to hold him back once more. The seatbelt was forgotten, as he started the motor and pulled out of the driveway and onto the dark street in Pennsylvania.

His mind was barely able to focus on the street, when it finally dawned on him. Murphy found out every single thing. He knew Mitch had been with his parents. He knew that he had told the rest of the group everything. He knew that they were trying to take legal action against him. And Mitch didn't doubt for a second that Murphy was capable of fulfilling his threat, bringing them all down and destroying their future once and for all.

All because of Mitch.

He should have just given in.  
He should have never fought against Murphy.

Without him everything would be better, wouldn't it?

It was stupid and wrong of him to think like that, but Mitch couldn't stop following the thought for a moment, while he drove alone through the dark forest in the middle of the night. Team Crafted would be together with no worries in the world. They wouldn't even had split up in the first place and Seto wouldn't be missing. His family wouldn't have been pained with the troublesome career of one of their children.

Another emotion got rid of the panic and the anger inside of his chest and spread like a disease, slowly but unstoppable.  
Maybe it would be better, if he ended it once and for all.

The thought amazed and scared him at the same time.  
Had there ever been a moment in his life in which he had felt so desperate and… alone?  
His mind screamed at him how stupid he was for even considering it, but with the stiff coldness in his chest and the sudden loss of simply feeling something, anything at this point, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Because who would care anyway?  
They would be happier in the end.

And for a daze moment, as he followed the straight road towards the upcoming turn, he closed his eyes and slowly let go of the steering wheel. A smile appeared on his lips, for a moment he felt so light and free, no one could hurt him, not like this, never would Murphy catch him here, in the middle of nowhere at the edge of oblivion-  
The ringing of his phone on the passenger's seat pulled him out of his daydream-like condition. A surprised look onto the display. Adam.

Then he noticed the trees rushing at him out of the corner of his eye. The turn of the road appeared directly in front of him. Too close to react in time. With a sudden burst of adrenaline he gasped, as his survival instinct kicked in. He reached for the steering wheel with an iron grip and forced it around as fast as possible to avoid the catastrophe _somehow_, even though he knew that his suicidal thoughts and the cursed seconds of blissful unawareness might have sealed his fate already.

He had always anticipated for time to slow down, when he would be in a near-death experience. In his mind he would see his life passing by, his friends, his family, the one he loved, the most important memories and those which had shaped him to be the person he was in the end.

Instead his ears were filled with the ear-deafening sound of squealing tires and breaking glass, as the metal bent around him at the force of the impact. A hard jolt went through his body, he lost all sense of direction, closed his eyes-

Silence.  
Darkness.  
He felt nothing.

And with the horrible realization that he forgot to put his seatbelt on Mitch drifted off into the luring darkness waiting for him at the edge of his consciousness.


	26. Chapter 25: Pain

**Music tip:  
Jess Glynne – Take Me Home**

* * *

Lovers of Freedom

**Chapter 25:  
**_Pain_

* * *

It was hard to breathe.

He was barely holding himself up, but thanks to Quentin he took step after step out of the car and towards the large doors. Inside they didn't meet many people, since it was late at night. Somewhere in the back of his mind he seemed to remember the sun slowly glancing over the horizon as they drove into the city they were in now, but then another part shut the thought down and confronted Jerome with what he still was unable to comprehend.

Mitch had been in a car accident.

Nearly too fatal for the doctors to save him.  
Nearly _deadly_.

His knees buckled under his weight and Quentin sat him down in a seat. It was too silent, no one way saying a word- or was he just unable to simply _listen_, to face reality and the fact that his best friend, his brother was probably fighting for his life right now?  
A strangled gasp tried to escape his throat and he desperately wanted to hold it back, but someone else had noticed and sat down by his side to put a comforting hand onto his shoulder.

And then, for the first time since they had received the call from Mitch's distraught parents, Jerome raised his throaty voice.  
"How?"

To his right Ty flinched and at first Jerome didn't know why. Then he saw his own clenched fists, heard the icy tone in his shaking voice and felt the pressuring feeling deep inside of him.  
He was seething. No one dared to answer.

"How the fuck did this happen-"  
And suddenly he was jumping up from his seat screaming and breaking free from Ian's iron grip and his unsuccessful try to calm him down.  
"How could this possibly have happened, when **you** were the one to reassure us that he would be fucking safe there, Adam?!"

His face was as white as a sheet, but Jerome couldn't care less, because for all those stupid romantic feelings were worth, they nearly got his best friend _killed!  
_"You fucking love him," he growled and grabbed Adam's shirt, but neither he himself, nor the other's moved a muscle to stop him. "You are supposed to take care of him, not getting him killed with your stupid idea to separate yourself from him, because you still think it's wrong to love him! So stop being so incredibly thick, you idiot, or I'll make sure you're never going to touch him ever again, if he'll survive this mess!"

"You got it all wrong," Adam whispered and then… smiled. It was broken and barely visible, but a smile nonetheless that made Jerome blink confused at the older male. "I can't deny my feelings for him. Not since me kissing him makes him happy, not since I'm able to make him forget what that asshole did to him, not since holding him in my arms feels like the safest place on earth for him, because right there Murphy is never going to be able to touch him. Ever. So please stop crying, Jerome."

A sob escaped his throat, as he mumbled an unintelligible apology and tried to brush the wet streaks on his face he hadn't even noticed before away with his sleeves, but Adam was faster than him and pulled him into his own trembling arms.  
"Just shut up," he mumbled and his thick voice betrayed him of his emotions. He was struggling as well, of course he was, and so Jerome returned the desperate hug with as much force as possible without crushing his friend completely.  
"It's gonna be alright," Jerome whispered into the silence of the waiting room in the hospital, more to comfort himself though than anybody else of his troubled friends. "Mitch will survive this."

"We just spoke to his doctor. He actually will."  
Another voice interrupted the heavy silence in between the friends and flinching himself this time Jerome let go of Adam to look towards the door of the waiting room. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were standing in the doorway with red eyes, but – more importantly – tired smiles on their pale faces. Tired, but smiles nonetheless. Combined with Mr. Hughes' words it was the best sign they could have hoped for.  
"Oh thank god," Ian exclaimed and bend over with his hands on his knees to let go of the overwhelming tension in his muscles, while Jason and Ty embraced each other with a tearful laugh and Quentin fell back into his seat to cover his face with his shaking hands.

And for the first time in forever Jerome actually saw Adam cry in front of him and everyone else without a care in the world. Wordlessly he pulled him back into an embrace and thanked every god out there for taking care of his best friend, whether they existed or not.  
Mitch was going to be alright. He would be alive, breathing, laughing and loving, Jerome would be able to talk to him about the problems of the world and the most random things he could come up with, because Mitch was _alive_ –

"What did the doctor say?"  
Ian was the first to recover and took an audible breath, before he concentrated on the most important thing right now. Mitch would survive- but how bad were his injuries?  
Jerome tensed and risked a glance towards Mitch's parents, who sat down near the group with cups of coffee in their hands. Mitch's father sighed and Mitch's mother grabbed his hand in comfort, before he began with a defeated and exhausted voice.

"Apparently he didn't have his seatbelt on," he began slowly and refused to return the shocked looks on the faces of Jerome and the others. "But he has been incredibly lucky. Broken ribs. Sprained ankle. Concussion. They had to operate him obviously and they don't know how badly his brain was damaged, when he hit the steering wheel head-on, but- but his doctor is confident."  
He nodded to emphasize his last words and to reassure himself. Jerome began to breathe again and clutched Adam's arm to keep himself up. Everyone understood the real meaning behind the sugar-coated words of Mitch's father. Under the given circumstances the possibility was high that the Mitch they knew and loved was gone forever.  
He felt sick to his stomach and took several deep breaths to calm himself down somehow. The doctor was confident. It had to mean _something_, right?

"Why- What exactly happened?" Adam asked with a voice that was barely audible even in the oppressing silence of the waiting room.

"No traffic. No rain. No signs of another obstacle that would have been the cause for the accident."  
_No._ Jerome stared with wide eyes towards Adam, who was reacting the same as him. _Please no._

"He had no seatbelt on. Drove straight into the tree line. You tell me, Mr. Dahlberg."  
Slowly Jerome turned around and let go of Adam, who was standing still as if he had been paralyzed. _He_ wouldn't dare, would he?

"The police examined the scene thoroughly and came to the same conclusion you just did. I'm sorry, but Mitchell tri–"

Murphy wasn't able to finish his sentence, as Jerome rushed forward and smashed his balled fist into his face with as much force as possible.  
"**Shut up!"** he screamed and threw another punch at the shocked man in front of him, before someone grabbed him from behind. "Don't you dare say his name ever again!" His voice was shaking horribly and on the verge of breaking, torn between pure rage, disbelief and despair. "Calm down, Jerome! What are you doing?" the person holding him tightly said with a surprise that Jerome couldn't understand. They all knew since the call that Murphy was responsible for Mitch's accident, so why were they holding him back now from unleashing all the pain Murphy deserved upon him?  
Ready to snap at whoever tried to restrain him he turned his head – and stared right into the bewildered face of Mitch's dad. He was way too calm. Didn't Mitch tell them what Murphy had done to him like he had planned to?

But this time Jerome wasn't the only one, who gave way to the roaring feelings inside of him. Ian stepped up beside him with barely concealed fury in his eyes.  
"How do you even dare showing up here?!"

"I'm only concerned about -" Murphy tried to save the situation and carefully touched his bruised jaw, when Jason appeared by Ian's side and cut him off. "Oh cut the crap! We know everything you did to Mitch – you are going down, even if it's the last thing we'll do!"  
"Let me tell you the same thing I told your little friend, Mr. Probst," Murphy began once again and took a threatening step forward towards Jason. It was the first time the group saw him like that. His usual smile and the patient expression in his eyes were replaced by what Mitch had always described him as. Something to fear.

"What did he do to Mitch?"  
Silence. No one was willing to tell Mr. Hughes what Murphy had done.  
Because where was Jerome supposed to start?

The blackmailing?  
The threats  
The danger for Mitch's family?  
The violence?  
The bruises?  
The tears?

"I know we did a horrible mistake, when he showed up at our house out of nowhere and we accused him of finally giving in to the pressure and the fame, because we had no clue how he had been during the past months. That obviously isn't the case," Mr. Hughes began with a voice too quiet and calm to be of any good for the person he was currently staring at.

"So tell me…"  
He let go of Jerome and moved to stand in front of the group like a shield.  
"What have you done to my son?"

The poisonous tone in his voice, something Jerome wasn't used to at all regarding the kind and generous man, silenced Murphy for several seconds, who returned the hard stare with an unreadable expression.  
A comforting hand appeared on Jerome's shoulder and as he glanced back he saw Mitch's mother with a gleam in her eyes that was thankfully only directed at Murphy himself, who slowly took a step backwards. He was an invincible opponent for Team Crafted, but faced with parents who were willing to do everything for their child's sake Murphy was at a loss for words. Not a second did Jerome feel sorry for him though.

"It was never supposed to end like this," he began soothingly and raised his hands, but his voice betrayed him of what he really thought about the incident. Mitch was one of many to fall under his reckless path towards the top of whatever goal he wanted to achieve in the end. "You sick bastard!"  
Before one of them was able to lunge at him again, his phone rang and tore the thick tension in the room apart.

"Excuse me," he said with a pleased smile and turned around to flee from their grasps, while a young doctor obliviously entered the waiting room with a more honest smile on his face than Jerome ever had seen on Murphy's.  
"Mr. and Mrs. Hughes? You can see Mitchell now."

In complete silence the friends followed Mitch's parents to their son's room and gave them a moment alone, while they waited in the hallway and finally gave way to the build-up tension. "What the fuck was that?" Quentin murmured and leaned against the wall with a loud sigh. Ty shook his head and sat down on one of the plastic chairs beside Mitch's door, before he replied, "We have to tell them what happened."  
"Obviously," Adam agreed and talked for the first time, since Murphy had appeared all of a sudden in the hospital. Quickly Jerome glanced up to study the pale face of his friend, but was surprised to find him looking straight back at him. With a sigh similar to Quentin's he continued, "Mitch didn't tell them about Murphy at all. It was part of the reason why we sent him over there in the first place."

"He wanted to, but it's no surprise that he closed up the second he heard what his parents were actually thinking about his behavior," Jerome replied with a lowered voice and threw a glance over his shoulder towards the closed door.  
"You should have told us sooner," Ian whispered and stared at the door as well. "You know I couldn't," Jerome defended himself, even though he knew the other one didn't mean it as an accusation. "We could have prevented it. We should have." A heavy sigh escaped his throat and with suspiciously wet eyes Ian turned around to compose himself.

No one was ready for the moment Mrs. Hughes opened the door and asked them in.

This time none of their little group was able to hold back the tears, as they saw Mitch lying on the bed near the window. The color of his face was competing with the white sheets he was softly covered with. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound disrupting the horrible silence, as Jerome and the others took in the sight of their once cheerful friend.  
A white bandage covered parts of his head and a tube helped him to breathe properly. And then there were the purple bruises covering not only his face, but his arms as well. Murphy's doing.

"We think it's time…" Jerome began without looking away once from Mitch's broken body and unable to hide the tears streaming down his face once again.  
"It's time you finally learn the truth about what Mitch has done for us all this time."


End file.
